To strengthen Macao’s role in the establishment of multiple cooperation and services platforms between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, and to strengthen the training of Portuguese teachers in Macao, MPI is launching the city’s first Bachelor’s programme in Portuguese Language. Featuring an innovative mode of teaching, this programme will be open for admission in mid-December. This new Bachelor’s programme targets students with Chinese as a native language, focusing on the teaching and learning of Portuguese as a foreign language. As a degree programme dedicated to the training of local Portuguese teachers, this qualification will also be recognised by Macao’s Education and Youth Affairs Bureau, meaning that graduates are qualified to teach related subjects in Macao’s secondary schools.

MPI has been engaged in Portuguese language teaching and research for more than a century and currently has a strong team of experienced teachers. The Institute is an important and major base for training language specialists in Chinese and Portuguese as well as experts in the field of translation. Over the years MPI has educated hundreds of graduates who are well-versed in the Chinese and Portuguese languages and who have now taken up active roles as translators working for the government, foreign embassies and international organisations.

In recent years, MPI has launched various new programmes dedicated to the training of professionals in Chinese-Portuguese translation, commerce, education, languages and cultural disciplines. These programmes are designed with the aim of nurturing talents who are competent in Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Portuguese and English. The latest Bachelor’s programme in Portuguese Language targets students from Macao and the Chinese Mainland who are native speakers of Chinese, cultivating competent Portuguese teachers for the Mainland and Macao.

Adopting the ‘3+1’ model – three years at MPI and one year at a Portuguese speaking country, this Bachelor’s programme in Portuguese Language aligns with the higher education system of Lusophone countries. The experience abroad will help students gain a better mastery of the language. Students will specialise in either ‘Teaching’ or ‘Portuguese Language and Culture’, both of which cover theories and practical applications of knowledge regarding the language, literature and culture of Lusophone countries. Courses are designed to nurture high-caliber talents well-versed in the Portuguese language and culture, who are equipped with a global vision and cross-cultural competence. During their studies, students will take up teaching placements at secondary schools in Macao. This programme is recognised by the Education and Youth Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, meaning that graduates are qualified to teach relevant subjects in local secondary schools. Graduates may also choose to work in administrative management and other creative industries, or to develop their careers at public and private organisations which are engaged in business with Portuguese-speaking countries.

Interested candidates are invited to apply for 2017/2018 admission to MPI’s Bachelor degree programmes from 13th December. Secondary students with outstanding academic performance may also seek admission via MPI’s Macao Secondary School Principals’ Recommendation Scheme. To submit an application or to find out more about the Institute’s programmes, please call 8599 6111 / 6103 / 6149 or refer to its website (www.ipm.edu.mo/admission).

• Macao Daily News