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From the names of the HEIs in Macau, one can see that most of them, MPI, IFT,
KWNCM, MSFSS, MIM, and MMC, are focused on vocational training, and few
are comprehensive to some extent. That raises the question of the mission of higher
education, which we will touch on in the following pages. But before we do that, we
will summarize what the current research on higher education finds.
Findings from the Current Research on Higher Education
in Macau
There are several characteristics of research on higher education in Macau. First, very
few researchers are based in Macau. Most of them are from mainland China universi-
ties and a few are also from Hong Kong. There is really no community of scholars or
an independent academic field in higher education studies in Macau. The few who are
based in Macau have touched on higher education research only as one of their
research interests and have not published on higher education consistently. These may
include Lau Sin Peng ( 2002 , 2009 ), Li Xiangyu ( 2000 , 2001 ), Shan Wen Jing and
Ieong Sao Leng ( 2008 ), Jinting Wu and Sou Kuan Vong ( 2015 ), Hebert Yee ( 2009 ),
and Zhidong Hao ( 2014 , 2015a, b), among others. Second, most of the research is not
by local scholars and is published in Chinese journals based in mainland China rather
than in English journals elsewhere, and they tend to be short introductory papers of the
history and development of Macau’s higher education. These may include among oth-
ers Zhong Haiyi ( 2000 ), Xu Fengshan ( 2004 ), Yuan Changqing, and Jiang Jian ( 2012 )
(see the bibliography for more examples). Even the few books on Macau’s education,
which touch on higher education, tend to be introductory in nature (see, e.g., Feng
Zengjun and Li Yiming 1999 ; Ramsey Koo and Ma Qingtang 1994 ). Third, there are
very few in-depth papers and books, and they tend to be comparative studies between
Macau, Hong Kong, and/or other places, for example, Yung Man Sing ( 2002 ), Hui
Kok Fai and Poon Lai Man ( 2002 ), Ma Hing Tong ( 2002 ), Bill Chou ( 2012 ), Zhidong
Hao ( 2014 , 2015a, b), Jinting Wu and Sou Kuan Vong ( 2015 ), Mark Bray et al. ( 2002 ),
and Mark Bray and Ramsey Koo (2004), and they tend to be in English.
Fourth, nonetheless, it is fair to say that the available research has pointed out the
major issues on higher education research in or about Macau. These major issues
include (1) the mission of higher education and its vocationalization, (2) the role of
the government and the autonomy of higher education governance, and (3) aca-
demic freedom, professionalization, and the role of professors. In the following
pages, we will discuss these issues, respectively.
The Mission of Higher Education and Its Vocationalization
As we mentioned earlier, vocationalization of higher education is one major feature
in Macau. The University of East Asia was established for profits and featured com-
mercial and business programs in its curriculum (Ma Zaoming 2010a:33). In a way,
Z. Hao