191Conclusion
In this paper, I have first of all briefly described the history of higher education in
Macau, and its current status, including the general characteristics of the ten HEIs.
In terms of their nature and sizes, we find that six of these institutions are vocational
in nature, and four of them each enrolled from 73 to 305 students, while others each
enrolled 1573 to 10,365 students as of the year 2012/2013. Regarding the research
on higher education in Macau, we find that most researchers are from outside
Macau, and most of the research is published in short papers in Chinese. There is a
lack of in-depth studies on higher education in Macau. More scholars based in
Macau are just beginning to do some in-depth studies now.
Notwithstanding the limitations of the current research on higher education in
Macau, scholars do point out a host of interesting issues to study: vocationalization
of higher education, a more positive role of the government and more autonomy of
higher education governance, the lack of academic freedom, professionalization,
and the problems of professors’ role playing. What the current research deals with
and what it does not deal with all point to the need of future research in the mission
of higher education, autonomy of colleges and university and how they may find
their niches in glocalization, the academic and political role of professors, (de-, re)
professionalization of faculty, student learning experiences, and how higher educa-
tion can couch their thinking in these issues through the lens of neocolonialism,
postcolonialism, and decolonization.
In sum, higher education research in Macau is still a work in progress. Yet the
problems it encounters are also problems encountered elsewhere. This paper has
examined these problems, and I hope that this analysis will complement other peo-
ple’s research on these important yet understudied issues. I hope that the analysis in
this paper will be of some use to both policymakers and higher education practitio-
ners. Colleges and universities are engines of social, economic, and political devel-
opment of a society, so the studies of how they work and do not work should be of
paramount importance and be a serious concern by policymakers and practitioners.
It should be a priority item on their research agenda.
References
Bray, Mark, with Roy Butler, Philip Hui, Ora Kwo & Emily Mang. (2002). Higher education
in Macau: Growth and strategic development. Hong Kong: Comparative Education Research
Center.
Bray, M., & Koo, R. (Eds.). (2004). Education and society in Hong Kong and Macao: Comparative
perspectives on continuity and change. Hong Kong: Comparative Education Research Centre,
The University of Hong Kong, Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Chan, D. K. K. (2008). Revisiting post-colonial education development: Reflections on some criti-
cal issues. Comparative Education Bulletin, 11, 21–36.
10 What It Is Like and What Needs to Be Done: A Status Report on Higher Education...