KAJANG: The United Chinese School Committees’ Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong) signs a collaborative agreement with seven institutions of higher learning in Macau, in which the institutions will recognize and accept United Examination Certificate (UEC) as an entry requirement.

Led by Kong Chee Meng, head of the Education and Youth Development Bureau under the Government of Macau Special Administrative Region, the seven institutions of higher learning, namely the University of Macau, Macau Polytechnic University, Macau Institute for Tourism Studies, Macau University of Science and Technology, City University of Macau, Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau and University of Saint Joseph, signed the agreement with Tan Tai Kim, president of Dong Zong on Thursday.

Tan said Dong Zong would explore collaborative engagements with the institutions of Macau for Malaysian students to further their studies in the territory, training of teachers in Chinese independent schools and student exchange programs.

“The signing of collaborative agreement and memorandum of understanding is a new beginning. We will continue to explore more collaborative opportunities and come up with programs that will benefit the students and teachers for a win-win formula,” he said.

The seven institutions of higher learning in Macau agreed to offer more scholarships for Malaysian students. They would also step up their promotion on studying in Macau to Malaysian students.

A total of 10,450 students graduated from Chinese independent schools in 2020. 80% of the students furthered their studies, about 3,000 students opted to study overseas.

In the past, independent Chinese school graduates were more familiar with higher education institutions in China and Taiwan.

“Through the promotion, students will get to know more about studying in Macau, and this will help increase the number of students studying in Macau,” he said.

Tan encouraged students keen to explore the opportunities of studying in Macau to attend a talk at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall at 10 am this Saturday for more details.