A Research On The Managerial Direction Under The Revision Of The Education System By The MSAR Government During The Initial Stages After The Handover Of Macao

The nature of the Macao government changed fundamentally after the handover of Macao. Revising the education system as a basis for education reform will lead to social change, bringing forth great significance. The problem, however, presents itself. The Macao Education System, a law passed in 1991, requires that the educational management "guarantee the autonomy and the liberty of the educational institutions" (Article 46). The Basic Law of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) published in 1993 assures that "all educational institutions in MSAR shall enjoy their autonomy of teaching and academic freedom in accordance with the law" (Article 112). At the handover of Macao in 1999, the Macao Education System law was deliberated and approved as "shall be maintained" by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (Articles 8 and 145 of the Basic Law of Macao), but yet, the Proposal for revision of the Macao Education System by the MSAR government in 2003 recommended unifying the senior high school year structure (7.2), establishing the "standardized academic assessment" (7.3), instituting integral planning of the "curriculum standard" (12.3), proceeding with "a systematical composite evaluation" of the academics, finance, and administration of all educational institutions (19.3), as well as more than ten other proposed amendments, revealing the inclination to an administrative management of the education system as a whole. To an autonomous and private-based education system, the impact of these proposed amendments would be notable. Therefore, a study on the managerial direction under the revision of the education system by the MSAR government during the initial stages after the handover of Macao is of contemporary significance and practical value.This study looks at the historical timeframe of Macao between the Portuguese colonial governance in 1849 and the resumption of China's sovereignty over the Macao in 1999. The language policy of the pre-handover era and the transitional period is used as a means to investigate the education profile of Macao prior to the establishment of a diplomatic relationship between China and Portugal in 1979, and the resulting educational and social characteristics of Macao in this historical timeframe. Based on the above foundation, the intent of this study is first of all, to evaluate the Macao Education System (Law No. 11/91/M) passed in the transitional period and to reveal the...