On 11 October 2012, the University of Macau (UM) held a Media Lunch Gathering with the Rector, in order to update local and overseas media in Macao on the latest development of UM. UM Rector Wei Zhao disclosed at the gathering that according to the latest plan, the new campus is expected to be put into operation next autumn, and after it begins operation, UM plans to adopt a series of measures, including establishing a large biochemical and medical instrument centre, opening campus facilities to the public, launching postgraduate programmes that mainly target working people, etc., in order to serve the local community in more areas and continue to fulfil it social responsibility.
When asked about the relocation plan, Rector Wei Zhao said that starting April 2013 UM will arrange for some staff to move to the new campus first for post-delivery work, including sorting-out, quality inspection, testing, furnishing, equipment installation, etc., and the new campus is expected to be put into operation next autumn. He added that after the new campus is put into operation, UM plans to adopt a series of new measures for the benefit of Macao residents. These measures will include: using part of the current campus to serve as a centre for continuing education for Macao residents, establishing a large biochemical and medical instrument centre on the new campus and sharing advanced equipment with other sister educational institutions and hospitals in Macao to improve the wellness of Macao residents; opening campus facilities such as the library, the cultural centre, the sports centre, etc. to the public while ensuring that staff and students’ work and study are not affected, in order to realize sharing of resources and to enhance ties between the university and the general public.
There will be some increase in the new campus budget from the current 1.3 billion patacas, but the increase mostly arises from natural cost, including the cost of hiring additional teaching staff to meet the needs of increasing students, and the cost of relocation and purchasing large laboratory equipment and furniture during the initial stage of the new campus. But Rector Wei Zhao stressed that the increased cost will not be passed on to students. He noted that the current cost of providing education to every student at UM is approximately between MOP 150,000 and MOP 160,000, lower than that of universities in Macao’s neighboring regions, including Hong Kong (approximately HKD 300,000) and Tsinghua University in Beijing (RMB 400,000). When asked if UM will increase tuition fees, Wei Zhao stressed that UM will not increase tuition fees because of the increased cost of the new campus, tuition fees will only be increased due to inflation and the increase will not exceed the inflation rate. Rector Wei Zhao also promised that UM will not let any student accepted by UM give up his or her chance to receive education simply because he or she can’t afford the tuition fees.
Rector Wei Zhao said that the complete set of advanced facilities on the new campus will help UM to further improve its academic strength. He added that in the future UM plans to establish a faculty of arts, faculty of creative design and faculty of health sciences, and will also launch practical master’s programmes in a variety of fields, such as law, education, society and management, which will mainly target Macao adults, in order to improve Macao residents’ quality and competitiveness and to meet the Macao society’s demand for high-calibre people.
Should you have any inquiries about the information, please feel free to contact the Information Executives Ms.Lei or Ms Lai of the Communications Office at（853）8397 4325 or prs.media@um.edu.mo or visit UM webpage www.umac.mo.
