On 6 January, the Macao Polytechnic Institute successfully held the "2018 MPI Open Day",  introducing its teaching facilities, programs and curricula, and research achievements to prospective graduates of high schools and other social elites by showcasing the latest developments to all sectors of the local community. The Open Day featured such activities as guided tours of the campus, exhibitions of teaching and research achievements, trial tests of physical fitness, athletic performance and interactions, art workshops, nursing operations, experiment demonstrations, talent shows, library tours, hands-on tryouts of teaching equipment, tasting meals at canteens and playing prize-winning games. The Open Day successfully attracted nearly 2,000 prospective high school graduates and other citizens, who participated enthusiastically in the event.

The opening ceremony of the "2018 MPI Open Day" was held at the MPI Auditorium on January 6 at 2.30 pm, and was officiated by Mr. Li Yongxian, Representative of the Director of Department of Education and Youth Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central Government; Professor Lei Heong Iok, President of MPI; Chang Kun Hong, Deputy Director of Tertiary Education Service Office; principals and their representatives from a dozen local secondary schools; Ng Cho Kei, Annie, President of MPI Student Union; and Wong U Kei, Chairman of the Executive Committee  of the Alumni Association. In his welcoming speech, Professor Lei Heong Iok underscored MPI's long-term commitments to the guiding principles of "Student-centred and quality-oriented” education, adhering steadfastly to the motto of "Knowledge, Expertise, and Global Vision". Since its establishment 18 years ago, with the gracious support from the Macao SAR government, MPI has spared no efforts in positioning its quality teaching with distinctive features and establishing academic disciplines with competitive advantages. It has thus far achieved remarkable achievements and sustained long-term strategic developments, gaining increasing recognition among the local community and students' parents. For a long time, MPI has upheld its management philosophy of "Nurturing local talents; serving the community." On average, MPI enrolls about 3,000 students in its various programs every academic year, with a view to maintaining a scale that can ensure an elite education for all students. Among the students, about 400 are recruited from the Mainland and some 150 are international students, while the remaining majority are local. Each year, over 600 students are receiving scholarships sponsored by government agencies and various sectors of the community, benefiting about 15% of the total student enrollments, with awards amounting to 10 million MOP. At present, MPI boasts approximately 300 full-time teaching faculty and research staff, most of whom have obtained a doctoral degree. In the recent academic year, MPI faculty and staff have produced an impressive record of academic research and publications, publishing a total of 161 academic papers in internationally indexed journals spanning such broad fields as science, engineering, and social sciences, as well as core journals in academia.  These achievements are strong evidence for MPI's determination to not just emphasize the quality of teaching and learning, but also its commitments to upgrade the academic profile of its teaching staff and their research capabilities, with the ultimate goal to cultivate high-caliber talents for the local community.

Lei Heong Iok further stressed that, in recent years, MPI's supreme academic standards, its high quality of student learning, its education information management and its refining teaching quality have won recognition and prestige from many international authorities of academic accreditation, thus pushing MPI to be Macao's very first tertiary institute to have been fully accredited by such reputable international accreditation agencies. Every year MPI attracts many aspiring young people to enroll in its academic programs to strive for success in their career. The number of MPI enrollment applications has been the highest among all local universities for several consecutive years. So far, MPI has produced many cohorts of high-caliber talents who are actively serving the community. Up to now, the total number of MPI graduates has exceeded 17,000. It is hoped that, through the "Open Day", Macao citizens are able to not just visit the MPI campus and its advanced teaching facilities, but also to take a stroll through those innovative and high-standard exhibitions, and to participate in interactive games at many booths on site. Participants are welcome to join us in learning the historical milestones of MPI, to immerse themselves in our stimulating environment and, last but not least, to witness and appreciate MPI students' passion and endeavors.

Wong is a fresh graduate of a local high school who has enjoyed the Open Day activities. He said that he had already applied for MPI's Chinese-Portuguese translation program, which boasts a long history of 100 years. Upon graduation, Wang hopes to work in the economic and trade sectors in either Macao or other Portuguese-speaking countries in the future. Another student, Ao Ieong, indicated that he would apply for the program of computing, for the simple reason that it has been recognized by the British Engineering Council and the "Washington Treaty". That is equal to say, upon graduation, he can virtually choose to work as an engineer in over 100 countries and regions. A very enticing career prospect indeed!

For the academic year of 2018/19, MPI is receiving applications in the following programs: Chinese-Portuguese/Portuguese-Chinese Translation & Interpretation, Chinese-English/English-Chinese Translation, International Chinese Language Education, Portuguese Language Education, Computing, Social Work, Public Administration, Sino-Lusophone Trade Relations, Design, Visual Arts, Music, Physical Education, E-Commerce, Marketing, Accounting, Management, Gaming and Recreation Management, Nursing, Medical Pharmacy Technology and Speech Language Therapy. Deadline for application is January 19. Please contact the Registry at 85996111/85996149. For more details regarding admission and scholarships, please browse the MPI website at www.ipm.edu.mo/admission.