Gov’t emphasizes moral education for youth

Cheong U, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture

The Youth Affairs Committee stressed that the government should put more effort and resources into moral education for local youngsters to give them all-round development and prevent rising crime by local teenagers.
The Committee held a meeting yesterday at the Education and Youth Bureau. Cheong U, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture also attended the conference during which the bureau briefed its work on the preparation for the annual awards for outstanding youth development projects. Currently the bureau has received 10 entries in the campaign which aims to inspire local young people with the success stories of others.
The meeting also discussed the “Youth Policy” which aims to build a development program to help young people with their future orientation and build initiative towards personal growth and success. 
The Committee also discussed the progress on the youth study program that aims to offer the young generation all-round development and cultivate the talent needed by society.
In response to the recent trend of rising crime committed by young people, Un Hi Cheng, head of the Department of Youth said among the main tasks the authority was undertaking were programs in moral education. In addition to the government, she stressed that local schools, social groups and other relevant stakeholders were also part of the collective efforts to help young people with their personal development.
The authority is already conducting several programs in local schools to help the younger generation build up a proper concept of civic awareness and moral standards, and the government would continue to place effort and resources in different areas, including training for teachers and the purchase of more teaching materials to make these efforts progress more effectively. The authority will also cooperate with neighbouring countries and regions, including Japan, Hong Kong and Mainland China to refine Macau’s system.

S.C.