Among
the respondents, 85% of them view tertiary education as very important. Only
14% think that tertiary education is not important or they gave no comment.
MICHAEL TIN
Following the development of society, knowledge is becoming more and more important. Tertiary education has become very common as well.
UMAC BRIDGES conducted a survey to know high school students who decided to continue studying and what their opinions on the importance of tertiary education are. One hundred Form five and Form six students were chosen randomly from three high schools: Salesiano Institute, Macau Baptist College and St. Joseph College as the sample.
Among
the respondents, 85% of them view tertiary education as very important. Only
14% think that tertiary education is not important or they gave no comment.
"This is the trend of society," said Steven Lei, a Form five student at Salesiano Institute.
"If I don’t equip myself with more knowledge, how can I enhance my ability to compete?" said Lau Tak Fai, a Form six student at Macau Baptist College.
Eleven percent of the students have not decided whether to continue studying or not, and six percent of the students decided not to continue studying after their high school graduation.
"I
don’t think I have the ability to study in the university," said Lam Un Men,
a Form six student at Macau Baptist College.
"In fact, my parents cannot afford the tuition fee and I also want to find a job as soon as possible to solve the financial problem of my family," explained Chiu Ka Wai, a Form six student at St. Joseph College.
The survey also found that Half of the students will choose Macau as the place to continue their studies. Lei is one of them. He explained that the institution is near his home and he could be looked after by his family. Thus, he wanted to be with his friends in Macau, and he could easily find part-time jobs.
Thirty percent of the students are planning to study in Mainland China. Jason Cheng, a Form six student at St. Joseph College, said, "The tuition fee in Mainland China is cheaper than in Macau and other foreign countries, and I can return home very often."
Only 20% of the students are going to study abroad like Taiwan, Canada and the United States of America. They explained that they wanted to learn to be independent.
Among
the 50% of the students who decide to study in Macau, almost 70% of them will
apply to the University of Macau, and two-thirds of these students will choose
to study in the Faculties of Business Administration or Education as their first
choice. The remaining one-third of the students will apply for the Polytechnic
Institute and the Tourism Institute. They think the courses in these two institutions
are more practical.
It is obvious that the students have decided where and what to study. When asked them about their criteria for decision-making, most of them said they followed their friends’ choices or they decided according to their own interests. However, they have not really thought about their future prospects or the needs of society.
Leung Wa Hay, a student at the Salesiano Institute, is a good example. "Most of my classmates will apply to the Faculty of Science and Technology. I want to study with them but I haven’t thought too much about my future prospects," he explained.
After the students finish their tertiary education, where will they develop their careers? In Macau or in other places?
"Of
course, I will work in Macau. It is because I will study here and I am familiar
with the local market. Also, my family is in Macau," said Lei.
Chan Hoi Sun, a student who has decided to further his studies in Taiwan, said, "Macau is my home, and I will find a job in Macau. Even though I understand that the potential of development is poor, I still want to do something for society."
Those students who decide to study abroad want to stay there to develop their career because they think they would have more opportunities.
