Macau

== Education ==
{{Main|Education in Macau}}

[[File:UM Hengqin 2.jpg|thumb|The main campus of the [[University of Macau]] is located in neighbouring [[Hengqin]].]]

Education in Macau does not have a single centralised set of standards or curriculum. Individual schools follow different educational models, including Chinese, Portuguese, Hong Kong, and British systems.<ref name="TangBrayEdu">{{harvnb|Tang|Bray|2000|pp=473–474}}.</ref> Children are required to attend school from the age of five until completion of lower secondary school, or at age 15. Of residents aged 3 and older, 69 per cent completed lower secondary education, 49 per cent graduated from an upper secondary school, 21 per cent earned a bachelor's degree or higher.<ref>{{harvnb|Population By-Census|2016|p=8}}.</ref> Mandatory education has contributed to an adult literacy rate of 96.5 per cent. While lower than that of other developed economies, the rate is due to the influx of refugees from mainland China during the post-war colonial era. Much of the elderly population were not formally educated due to war and poverty.<ref>{{harvnb|Population By-Census|2016|p=9}}.</ref>

Most schools in the territory are private institutions. Out of the 77 non-tertiary schools, 10 are public and the other 67 are privately run.<ref name="2018YearbookP289">{{harvnb|Macao Yearbook 2018|p=289}}.</ref> The [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Macau]] maintains an important position in territorial education, managing 27 primary and secondary schools.<ref>
{{cite web |title=Educational establishments |url=https://www.catholic.org.mo/en/list-34 |publisher=[[Roman Catholic Diocese of Macau]] |access-date=19 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220122739/https://www.catholic.org.mo/en/list-34 |archive-date=20 February 2019 |url-status=live}}
</ref> The government provides 15 years of free education for all residents enrolled in publicly run schools,<ref name="2018YearbookP289" /> and subsidises tuition for students in private schools. Students at the secondary school level studying in neighbouring areas of Guangdong are also eligible for tuition subsidies.<ref>{{harvnb|Macao Yearbook 2018|p=291}}.</ref>

The vast majority of schools use Cantonese as the [[medium of instruction]], with written education in Chinese and compulsory classes in Mandarin. A minority of private schools use English or Portuguese as the primary teaching language. Portuguese-Chinese schools mainly use Chinese, but additionally require mandatory Portuguese-language classes as part of their curriculum.<ref name="TangBrayEdu" />

Macau has [[List of universities and colleges in Macau|ten universities and tertiary education institutes]]. The [[University of Macau]], founded in 1981, is the territory's only public comprehensive university. The [[Kiang Wu Hospital#Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau|Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau]] is the oldest higher institute, specialising in educating future nursing staff for the college's parent hospital. The [[University of Saint Joseph]], [[Macau University of Science and Technology]], and the [[City University of Macau]] were all established in subsequent years. Five other institutes specialise in specific vocations or provide [[continuing education]].<ref>{{harvnb|Macao Yearbook 2018|pp=298, 304–307}}.</ref>