Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, S.A. (“SJM”) awarded scholarships to 41 children of staff on 22 August 2018, including new scholarships to ten outstanding students of Year 2018 and renewal of scholarships for 31 recipients of Year 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014.

The Fourteenth Annual SJM Scholarship Awards Ceremony was held at the Grand Ballroom of Grand Lisboa. Deputy Director-General of the Department of Publicity and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macau SAR Mr. Shao Bin, Director of the Economic Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macau SAR Mr. Zuo Xianghua, Acting Head of the Division of Secondary and Vocational Technical Education of the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau of the Macau SAR Government Mr. Leong I On, Functional Head (Higher Education Affairs) of the Tertiary Education Services Office Mr. Sam Hio Tong, and guests from the education sector joined Chairman of the Board of Directors of SJM Dr. Ambrose So, Managing Director and Chief Administrative Officer Ms. Angela Leong, Director Dr. Rui Cunha and other senior management of the company in celebrating the joyous moments with the award-winning students and families.

Ten outstanding students were selected from 48 applicants by the SJM Scholarship Selection Committee this year. They are Wong Seak Man, Tam Hou In, Li Yan Wa, Leong Chi Hang, Cheong Kam, Kong Kuan Nam, Chan Ka Lok, U Choi San, Hou Cheng Ieng and Wong Weng Ian. Each will be awarded MOP20,000 per year until they finish their university studies.

The ceremony also witnessed the renewal of SJM Scholarships to 31 recipients of Year 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014, who were each awarded MOP20,000 for the new academic year. Among them, Zheng Li Bin and Hui Cho Man were named the best performing students in the past academic year, and were each given an additional award of MOP5,000.

Dr. Ambrose So, Chairman of the Board of Directors of SJM and of the SJM Scholarship Selection Committee, underlined the importance of analytical thinking in his speech as students nowadays have access to a wealth of information on the internet, hence the ability to analyse things carefully and from a wider perspective is crucial in solving problems and making sound judgements. Dr. So concluded by encouraging the students to adopt a serious attitude in learning and, equip themselves for the future, bringing their capabilities into play to achieve the goal of “building Macau with talented individuals”.

Ms. Angela Leong, Managing Director and Chief Administrative Officer of SJM, also Chairman of the SJM Staff Welfare Consultative Committee and Vice-Chairman of the SJM Scholarship Selection Committee, remarked that the SJM Scholarship Programme upholds Dr. Stanley Ho’s principle of “from society, to society” and illustrates SJM’s emphasis on the welfare of their employees including the education of their children. She hoped the students will bear in mind the importance of lifelong learning and tackle future challenges with their extensive knowledge and positive attitudes. She welcomed the students to join the SJM family upon graduation, and encouraged them to follow the footsteps of the recipients of past years in contributing to society, passing on SJM’s spirit of patriotism.

Ms. U Choi San, on behalf of this year’s recipients, gratefully thanked SJM for their support in talent nurturing. She said that the SJM Scholarship has recognized their hard work and efforts, and encouraged them to do well on the learning journey ahead. She pledged to seize every learning opportunity with resilience and perseverance, and to serve the community in future with the knowledge gained.

The SJM Scholarship programme awards outstanding children of staff to further their university studies. Children of staff of SJM and STDM who are first-year undergraduates are eligible for application. The programme awards ten scholarships annually to children of staff, who are each awarded MOP20,000 per year until they finish their university studies (up to five years). Renewal of scholarships is based on assessment of the recipient’s academic results by the SJM Scholarship Selection Committee annually. The Programme, since its establishment in 2005, has witnessed the graduation of 91 children of staff.

Besides offering scholarships to children of staff, SJM sponsors the full school fees of their staff to further studies at Macau Millennium College, and encourages employees to return to school by completing secondary school education at Millennium Secondary School. SJM also awards scholarships at local educational institutions, and through sponsoring educational and cultural activities, SJM aims to promote Chinese culture and foster lifelong learning in society. Moreover, the SJM Staff Welfare Consultative Committee has organised staff participation in the patriotic education programme in Jinggangshan, Jiangxi since 2014. SJM’s staff are the first batch of corporate employees to attend the training course on contemporary China and its future development, offered by Macau Millennium College and the National Institute of Social development of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in July this year.