The Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) said yesterday that five students from Macau are currently enrolled at Harvard University, which is facing the possible implementation of a decision by US President Donald Trump’s administration to revoke the institution’s eligibility to enrol international students.
One of the five students from Macau has just graduated, the bureau clarified, adding that so far it had not received any requests for assistance from the other four.
The bureau also underlined that it is preparing contingency plans aiming to meet the Macau students’ possible needs resulting from the latest developments in the case.
Iun Pui Iun, a DSEDJ deputy director, made the remarks while speaking to reporters yesterday on the sidelines of an arts performance event at Hou Kong Middle School.
After the Trump administration announced its decision last week, a US federal district judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking its plan to strip Harvard University of its ability to enrol international students, after the higher education institution filed a lawsuit.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Iun underlined that her bureau has been closely monitoring the incident’s latest developments, while it has contacted the five Macau students enrolled at Harvard University, asking them whether they needed assistance from the bureau. Iun added that one of them, whose gender she did not mention, told the bureau that he or she has just graduated from the university, while none of the others requested assistance.
According to Iun, her bureau provided the Macau students with its contact information in case they needed assistance or support from the bureau.
Iun said that her bureau has gathered details about the Macau students’ programmes at the university, pledging that the bureau will maintain close communication with them with the aim of gaining an updated understanding of their latest situations.
Iun also said that her bureau is “encouraging” Macau’s higher education institutions to closely monitor the latest developments in the case with the aim of preparing themselves to provide any assistance to the affected Macau students who might intend to request transfer to one of them.
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States.
Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) Deputy Director Iun Pui Iun speaks to reporters at Hou Kong Middle School yesterday. – Photo courtesy of TDM
