Prof. Nuno Crato, Minister of Education and Technology of Portugal, visited Macao Polytechnic Institute (MPI) on 13 April 2014, where he expressed his appreciation for the Institute’s Portuguese language and culture academic research and teaching and said he expected MPI would continue to play an active role in co-operation and exchanges between China and Portuguese speaking countries. During the visit Prof. Crato also held a dialogue meeting with MPI students in which he encouraged students to exert their best efforts to contribute to the development of the country.

Students welcome Prof. Nuno Crato (left 4), Minister of Education and Technology, Portugal

Accompanied by Mr. Vitor Sereno, Consul-General of Portugal in Macao and Hong Kong, Prof. Crato was warmly welcomed by Prof. Lei Heong Iok, President of MPI and more than a hundred staff and students during the course of his visit. On behalf of MPI staff and students, Prof. Lei expressed his gratitude to Prof. Crato for his visit. He also noted that Prof. Crato’s visit to MPI was all about his firm support for the Institute. Prof. Lei introduced to Prof. Crato the MPI visions, guiding values, missions and the most up-to-date research and developments in the Institute, noting that MPI has been active in Portuguese teaching for more than a hundred years, making it one of core academic areas in the Institute. Further, Prof. Lei also explained MPI’s collaborations between China, Portugal, Brazil and other Portuguese speaking countries in joint bachelor and post-graduate programmes, student exchange programmes, teaching staff exchanges and training, academic research and textbook publication co-operation, the co-organization of conferences and seminars, as well as other diverse co-operative academic activities.

Prof. Crato expressed his gratitude to the Institute for its hospitality and said he was impressed by the delegates he had met. He recognized MPI for its pedagogical strengths and was assured with respect to MPI’s contribution in promoting and teaching Portuguese Studies. Prof. Crato also showed his sincere gratitude for all the efforts the Institute had exerted and expected it to strengthen the connection and co-operation between MPI and universities in other Portuguese speaking countries. He looked forward to the further development of higher education and knowledge of the Portuguese language. At a later stage, if MPI was to promote Portuguese studies in mainland China or in other regions, the Ministry of Education and Technology of Portugal would make every endeavor to support this role.

During the visit Prof. Crato also conducted a dialogue meeting with students of the Chinese-Portuguese Translation and Interpretation Programme from Macao, mainland China and exchange students from Portugal, Cape Verde and Holland. The parties discussed their learning experience, studies and lives, extra-curricular activities, cultural exchange and future developments. Prof. Crato encouraged students to make their best efforts to learn and equip themselves for their future careers so that after obtaining their degrees they would be able to contribute to the development of the country.