One of the symposiums of the International Conference on “The 25th Anniversary of Macau’s Return and Higher Education Collaboration with Portuguese-speaking Countries” organized by FHSS and sponsored by Macau Foundation, titled “Macau’s Post-Return Higher Education: Celebrating a Quarter-Century of Growth” was successfully held on October 23, 2024, at the Luso-Chinese Building L210 of the University of Macau. This symposium aimed to review and analyze the achievements of higher education in Macau since the return and look forward to future development directions.

In his opening remarks, Associate Professor Wei Xu from our faculty stressed the importance of higher education in promoting social progress and cultural exchange. Some distinguished guests attended the event, including Yee Wong, President of the Linguistic Society of Macao, and Paisan Sukjairungwattana, Director of Mahidol University's Confucius Institute. During their respective presentations, both provided unique insights into the development of higher education in Macau.

Participants collectively reviewed the development of higher education in Macau before its return, discussing the establishment of the status of the Chinese language during the transition period and its profound impact on the education system. Since the return, the diverse development of higher education in Macau has yielded significant results, attracting an increasing number of international students and facilitating the exchange and integration of Chinese and Western cultures. Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral students actively participated in discussions, sharing their learning experiences and expectations for the future of higher education.

During the symposium, extensive exchanges were beneficial to academic collaboration and provided students with a valuable learning platform, which enabled them to gain a deeper understanding of the historical context in which higher education is situated in Macau and its competitiveness in a globalized environment. Additionally, experts offered recommendations for future development, emphasizing the importance of technological innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and internationalization, paving the way for further advancement of Macau's higher education sector. As well as reflecting on the past 25 years of development, this symposium provided a forward-looking analysis of future challenges that hold significant implications for the advancement of higher education in Macau in the future.