Macau Portuguese School wants to train leaders since basic education

O director of the Portuguese School of Macau (EPM) defended, in an interview with Lusa, a “strong component” in the formation of leaderships since the first grades of education, noting that this is an area that interests the institution to develop.

“ We think about leadership training when people are professionals. No, leadership training is now in several programs that have been implemented since the first, second, third cycles, secondary education, together with universities, business schools, economics, and this is important,” says João Miguel Gonçalves, in the first interview since he took office.

In front of EPM since the beginning of the school year, the director notes that there are already projects in the educational establishment that are “doing more informally”, but that it is necessary to present them now with a structure and an “clearer” identity. “We must also aim to create new dynamics,” he explains.

For the moment, you mention, there are only ideas. “In the context of these areas of improvement [of the school], the vision that I am building cooperatively (...), we have to have a strong component of leadership formation”, he says.

Partnerships with Macau, Portugal or the interior of China can be seen.

“ For each area, we will have to find the partners who, at present, look to us as those who are being more innovative, who are creating more disruptive change, which are bringing more dynamics of articulation between school and social, business, commercial contexts and tissues,” he adds.

In the context of the celebrations of the 30 years of EPM, which are celebrated in 2028, the responsible indicates that the direction of the Portuguese School of Macau wants to understand where the former students of the institution are, what they do today and what impact this educational space has had over the last three decades.

“ It is colossal the impact that the school had when we started looking at where our students are, and today we have this ability to see that, for the future, the dimension of leadership training is very important, already within the level of education that we work ", completes the responsible, who before moving to Macau occupied the position of Director-General of School Establishments in Lisbon.

The survey on the path of the students of EPM can be presented in the form of a book with interviews, but it anticipates, noting that the program of celebrations is still being outlined.

EPM was established in 1998 as heir to three teaching institutions in Portuguese: the Official Primary School, the Commercial School and Macao High School.

In the same year, the Fundação Escola Portuguesa de Macau, which manages the school, was created as a result of the collaboration between the Portuguese State, the Fundação Oriente and the Associação Promoção da Instrução dos Macaenses (with the Fundação Oriente being replaced in 2012 by the Macau Foundation, an entity of the local government, in the financial commitments).