Winter holidays for all schools and other non-tertiary educational institutions in Macao will be extended from 3 to 9 January 2023, the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) has announced.
According to the bureau, the decision was made based on suggestions by the city’s Health Bureau (SS) in order to reduce the possibilities of school outbreaks when Macao’s Covid-19 contagion reaches its peak, which SS Director Alvis Lo has predicted will happen in about 1-2 weeks.
The city’s universities and other higher educational institutions, however, will resume their activities on 3 January, and each institution can choose to conduct its teaching sessions on site or online.
Between 3-6 January, non-tertiary schools “should provide friendly measures” for special education, early childhood education, primary 3 and below, as well as special education students with care needs. For this, parents must apply to the schools and, after being approved by the schools, students mentioned above can return to their schools during the above period.
However, students with red health codes or who have fever or respiratory symptoms must not return to school, while students with yellow codes “should stay at home as much as possible”, said the DSEDJ.
Students who need to take their exams, such as second- and third-grade students in senior high schools, can return to their schools from 3 January for the exams and related learning activities – relevant teachers can attend these activities. All activities in which masks cannot be worn at all times must remain suspended.
In addition, schools should create relevant examination conditions for their students who need to do exams but have red or yellow codes, such as by time-sharing and room-dividing.
All students and staff members who return to school from 3 January must do rapid antigen tests (RAT) daily before going to school or work and declare their test results on the Macao Health Code. RAT kits will be distributed to students and staff through schools after the holidays.
The DSEDJ also announced that the joint admission of recommended Macao students by mainland Chinese universities will be held as scheduled on 7 January, with online or offline entry examinations to be arranged according to requirements by relevant universities.
The examination for the joint admission of Macao recommended students by ordinary universities in mainland China will be held on 7 January 2023 as originally planned. Online or offline examinations will be arranged according to the requirements of relevant universities. For specific epidemic prevention requirements, please pay attention to the relevant announcement.
The bureau also suggested universities in Macao to adjust their teaching arrangements temporarily to reduce the impact of Macao’s current Covid-19 situation on their teaching activities.
Starting from 28 December, all students and teachers in tertiary educational institutions must take daily RATs before going to their educational facilities for face-to-face classes or exams, declaring their test results on the Macao Health Code.
The DSEDJ and SS will continue to study the Covid-19 development in Macao and make necessary adjustments for all local tertiary and non-tertiary educational institutions. The DSEDJ also urged students and school staff to pay attention to and keep on checking on their personal health during the holidays
