Chapter 10　Education funds

Article 46　Financial responsibility

1. Both the government and families have the responsibility to provide the education funds.

2. In working out the budget for the Macao Special Administrative Region, non-tertiary education is one of the preference items.

Article 47　Financial support

1. The government provides financial support in accordance with the principles of equity, righteousness and openness.

2. All financial support should be used adequately and effectively.

3. The government has the competence of monitoring the use of the financial support.

4. Free tuition subsidy is provided by the government to non-profit making schools that have joined the free education school system, for paying the general expenses of the operation; the criteria of subsidy, form of payment and the related obligations that the schools should abide by are governed by specific statutes.

5. The government provides subsidy to promote the development of recurrent education and encourage residents to carry out life-long learning; the subsidy eligibility, criteria, form of payment and the rights and obligations of the related entities are governed by specific statutes.

6. Tuition subsidy is provided to the students and residents of Macao SAR, who take courses in private schools of formal education and have not been benefited from free education; criteria of subsidy and form of payment is governed by specific statutes.

7. The government provides subsidy to teachers of non-profit-making private schools for promoting their professional development, except the teachers of private schools of non-local education system.

8. Private schools of non-local education system and profit-making private education institutions do not get financial support from the government.

Article 48　Education development fund

1. To support the development of non-tertiary education, the education development fund is established.

2. Education development fund is a public legal person that enjoys administrative and financial autonomy; it is operated under the education authority and is managed by the administrative management committee.

3. Origin of the resources of education development fund:
1) The appropriation of the government;
2) The subsidies, appropriations, endowments, heritages, legacies or donations of public, private legal persons or natural persons of Macao SAR or other places;
3) The interests or other incomes of owned property or property that enjoys profits;
4) The balance of the previous fiscal year;
5) The sum of money recovered from loan;
6) All the movable or immovable property that is acquired in gratuitous and onerous form or other way;
7) Other resources allocated in accordance with law, contract or other ways.

4. The education development fund is used to support and promote the carrying out of the various educational development plans and activities in the scope of non-tertiary education, in particular:
1) Optimisation of the educational planning of schools;
2) Improvement of the teaching environment and equipment;
3) Improvement of school-based curriculums and teaching;
4) Promotion of teacher professional development;
5) Assurance of students’ balanced development;
6) Support of the development of special education;
7) Advancement of the implementation of continuing education.

5. The education development fund provides financial support in the following ways:
1) Free subsidy;
2) Preferential credit.

6. The organization, management and internal operation rules of the education development fund are to be governed by specific statutes.

Article 49　Tuition

1. The tuition amount for the various grades of public schools is to be determined by the Chief Executive in the form of dispatch promulgated in the Official Bulletin of Macao SAR.

2. The tuition amount for the various grades of various private schools can be determined by the individual school; however, the related criteria of charges should be notified to the education authority in written form prior to enrolment of new students in every academic year.