Umac to Have New Buildings

By Carolina Lee

University of Macau (Umac) is having three constructions for the constant development of the University.

Two construction sites can be found on the side of the road.

The three ongoing construction sites are: the East Asia Hall located near the western site of the International Library, A1 Classroom Building sited on the slope next to the K. C. Wong Building, as well as the Centre for Engineering Research and Testing of Umac (CERT), which is right opposite the International Library.

With the coming East Asian Games 2005, the East Asian Games Organizing Committee and Umac have arranged a co-operation plan on the construction of the East Asian Hall, the building is expected to be completed by June 2005. It will first be used as a hostel for athletes during the East Asian Games, and become a permanent student dormitory after the Games. It will be able to provide accommodations for about 940 people by then.

Umac is recruiting more and more students. In the academic year of 2003/2004, Umac has 5,471 registered students, which is a nine percent increase from 5,020 registered students in 2002. According to Song Kit Io, spokesperson of the General Administration Bureau, the University is planning to increase the number of students to 6,000 gradually, in accordance with the future development of Umac.

In regard to the increasing number of students, the shortage in classrooms becomes an apparent problem. With the completion of the A1 Classroom Building in the future, 64 more classrooms would be available for use, together with the 89 classrooms at present, the classroom problem is likely to be remedied.

The CERT will mainly function as laboratory and testing venues related to the field of civil engineering. This centre is going to be finished by the end of 2004, and will provide a better environment for scientific research.

All these new constructions belong to the phase-one development project of the University. Students would be able to have a better learning environment when it is completed. However, as a matter of fact, the campus environment is being affected by the construction sites; the situation would be more obvious on the road connecting the K.C. Wong Building and the International Library, where there would be two construction sites on both sides of the road.

Song commented that the situation could be improved by the end of 2004. "At present, the sites need to occupy part of the road for the construction purpose, when the first stage of the construction finishes, we hope the sidewalk would not be blocked in order to make the road safer for passersby."

"We are trying our best to maintain the safety of the campus environment during this period," Song added.

Number of Registered Students in Umac

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