Honours College Inauguration Speech

							      Date:
    2009.09.23
                                             Honours College Inauguration Speech
   (Wednesday)
                                              by
      Time:
     4:00 p.m.                               Mr. Edmund HO Hau Wah,
                                             the Chief Executive of Macao SAR
     Venue:
 Cultural Centre
University of Macau   Distinguished guests, parents and students,

     Medium:          Today, I am delighted to attend the Inauguration Ceremony of the Honours College
     English          of the University of Macau. We are here to witness yet another great leap forward in
                      the development of Macao’s higher education and I take great pride of the milestone
                      and achievement it represents.

                      This year marks the glorious 10th anniversary of Macao SAR’s return to the
                      Motherland. Over the past decade, we inaugurated an unprecedented new chapter for
                      Macao as it experienced rapid social and economic development. Macao’s socio-
                      economic development in the past decade signifies a successful progress of the “One
                      Country, Two Systems”, “Macao People Governing Macao” and “A High Degree of
                      Autonomy”.

                      As Macao is growing rapidly in recent years, this has also increased local demand for
                      education at all levels, particularly at higher education. The academic year
                      2007/2008 recorded more than 27,300 registered students committed to higher
                      education as compared with 8,400 in 1999/2000. The SAR Government has been
                      rendering tremendous support for the development of Macao’s higher education by
                      formulating and strengthening policies for enhancing higher education, allocating
                      substantial resources to foster outstanding graduates in various fields and providing
                      support to the whole-person development while reinforcing a stronger general
                      education curriculum.



   HC/2009/2010/L1




                                               Honours College (HC) Contact number (853) 8397 4974/ Fax (853) 8397 4976
                                               Email: HC.enquiry@umac.mo      website: http://www.umac.mo/hc/index.html
                  In the last 10 years, the University of Macau also scored one dazzling achievement
                  after another in its development. The number of students increased greatly, from
                  2,800 in 1999 to 6,700 in 2008 while the percentage of local students soared from
                  39% to 80%. In view of the University’s fast-paced development, the Standing
                  Committee of the National People’s Congress announced on 27 June 2009 the
                  passing of the Bill that proposed the authorization of Macao SAR to exercise
                  jurisdiction over University of Macau’s new campus site on Hengqin Island, implying
                  a brand new campus for the University while securing an excellent educational
                  environment for Macao’s future generations. Indeed, this year is also a glorious year
                  for the University as it stands on the threshold of the greatest breakthrough in its
                  development history.

                  Under the challenges of globalized economic integration, high-caliber talents are vital
                  assets of our society. We must nurture graduates to become future leaders to improve
                  Macao’s competitiveness in the world. And by “leaders”, I am not merely referring to
                  government officials or political leaders. The outstanding individuals in various
                  professions, who exert their expertise and leadership in respective areas, are equally
                  important for the vigorous growth of the society. With the hopes of developing a new
                  generation of prominent leaders and intellectual achievers, I am very pleased to see
                  the UM Honours College’s commitment to providing high-achieving undergraduates
                  a unique learning opportunity, immersing its students in a multi-disciplinary
                  environment with international perspective.

                  Finally, dear students of the UM Honours College, I urge you to seize every learning
                  opportunity, keep your curiosity alive, and equip yourselves with perseverance and
                  determination so as to create a bright future, to serve the country and to make
                  contributions to the world.

                  Thank you.




                                           Honours College (HC) Contact number (853) 8397 4974/ Fax (853) 8397 4976
HC/2009/2010/L1                            Email: HC.enquiry@umac.mo      website: http://www.umac.mo/hc/index.html