The 2016/2017 senior high school graduation ceremony was held this morning at 10:30 in the school assembly hall.  Many guests of honor and parents gathered for the occasion.  Officiating guests included the director-general of the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau, various honorary members of Pui Ching’s board of trustees, and the principal of Hong Kong Pui Ching Middle School.

Pui Ching Chancellor Mr. Wing Cheong Lo acted as chairperson of the ceremony and addressed the audience, extending his welcome, appreciation, and congratulations to the guests, parents, and 208 fresh graduates.

Pui Ching has long boasted a university entrance rate of 100% among its graduates.  This academic year, Senior 3 graduates attended the first Joint Admission Examination for Macao’s Four Higher Education Institutions and the graduates included the first cohort of students to be admitted to Mainland universities under the 2017 policy for recommendation of students for exemption from the university admission examination.  Under the new policy, 60 students from Pui Ching were offered admission to 29 well-known Mainland universities such as Peking University, Tsinghua University and Fudan University.  10 students were accepted into the University of Macao and awarded scholarships through the Principal’s Recommendation Scheme.  Among the students who took the IELTS examination, seven students scored 7.5, and one student scored 8.5.

In the 57^th International Mathematical Olympiad, Pui Ching students received the first Gold Medal from Macao in 25 years.  In the 2017 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, Pui Ching’s Underwater Robotics Team won the Third Prize in the Environmental Engineering Category, also the highest honor conferred upon contestants from Macao to date.  Pui Ching has also won championships in various categories of inter-school volleyball and basketball competitions.  In particular, the Pui Ching Women’s Basketball Team was the champion in Category A, B, C as well as D in the Inter-school Basketball Competition, making it the first school team in Macao to clinch all championships in a game. 

Pui Ching teachers have always been keen participants in the Instructional Design Award Scheme held by the Macao Education and Youth Affairs Bureau and according to statistics for the 2015/2016 academic year, Pui Ching teachers have won the highest number of awards among schools in Macao.  In the 31^st National Youth Science Innovation Competition held in August last year, Pui Ching was dubbed one of the Ten Most Innovative Schools, the first school in Macao to have been conferred such an honor.  Pui Ching’s Fabrication Laboratory was officially recognized by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology last August, making it the first such laboratory in Hong Kong and Macao and the second such school laboratory in Mainland China.

Thanks to the support of the Macao Special Administrative Region government, the general public, alumni, parents, and teachers, Pui Ching teachers and students have made outstanding achievements in diverse fields.  Pui Ching encourages autonomous learning and aims to promote innovation and the development of higher cognitive skills.  Director-general of the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau Ms. Lai Leong commended Pui Ching on the quality of its education and the various contributions it has made in science and Chinese culture education.  Director Leong cited the performance of AlphaGo in the game of Go in her discussion of the role of technology in our lives and encouraged students to step up to the challenges of their time.

Principal Dr. Kam Fai Kou presented the fresh graduates with their high school diploma in the ceremony, and the guests of honor presented outstanding students with various awards and scholarships.  Toward the end of the ceremony, the school conferred commemorative awards on four retiring teachers and twenty-two teachers who have served at the school for 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years.

Valedictorian Ms. Zi Xuan Cheng addressed the audience on behalf of the graduating class.  She extended her gratitude to the Macao government and different sectors of the community for their support, to the teachers for their teaching, to the parents for their love and care, and to fellow students for their friendship over the years, warming the hearts of all.

Dr. Kam Fai Kou also expressed his gratitude to the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau, the school board of trustees, parents, and teaching and administrative staff for their dedication.  He congratulated the 2017 graduates on their academic achievement and encouraged them to stay in touch with their alma mater as alumni.  The graduation ceremony concluded with the school anthem and in the blessings of parents and teachers.