Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, S.A. (“SJM”) awarded scholarships to 38 children of staff on 28 August 2019, including new scholarships to ten outstanding students of Year 2019 and renewal of scholarships for 28 recipients of Year 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015.

The Fifteenth Annual SJM Scholarship Awards Ceremony was held on 28 August 2019 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. Yin Rutao, Senior Assistant Director of the Economic Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macau SAR Mr. Si Chen, 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, Acting Head of Division of Resources and Student Welfare of the Higher Education Bureau of the Macau SAR Government Ms. Kong Cheng Ian, and Head of the Academic Affairs Department of Macao Polytechnic Institute Ms. Lei Un joined Chairman of the Board of Directors of SJM Ms. Daisy Ho, Director of SJM and Chairman of the SJM Scholarship Selection Committee Dr. Ambrose So, Managing Director and Chief Administrative Officer Ms. Angela Leong, Directors Ms. Maisy Ho and Mr. Arnaldo Ho 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 42 applicants by the SJM Scholarship Selection Committee this year.  They are Si Chak Wa, Che Man Wa, Io Ieng Ian, Ng Mei San, Huang Man Cheng, Chan Ka Teng, Ho Cho Ieng, Ho Chi Kit, Cheang Weng I and Si Tou Chi Hou.  Each will be awarded MOP20,000 per year until they finish their university studies.

The ceremony also witnessed the renewal of SJM Scholarships to 28 recipients of Year 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015, who were each awarded MOP20,000 for the new academic year. Among them, Tam Hou In and Lau Weng U were named the best performing students in the past academic year, and were each given an additional encouragement award of MOP5,000.

Ms. Daisy Ho, Chairman of the Board of Directors of SJM, remarked in her speech that supporting education has always been a core value of Dr. Stanley Ho, who said, “For charity I always give priority to education.  The benefits of knowledge last for life, not only for oneself, but for the entire community.” Committed to nurturing talents for society, SJM offers scholarships to children of staff and to institutions, while promoting Chinese culture through sponsoring local cultural and educational events with an aim to foster talented and virtuous generations in support of the principle of “Macau people governing Macau”. Ms. Ho said that as a locally rooted company with the fine tradition of loving the motherland and Macau, SJM has always stressed that young people should have a deeper knowledge of Chinese history, culture and the Country’s recent developments, to enhance their national consciousness, belonging and responsibility. The young students have witnessed how Macau, since its return to China, has thrived and enjoyed a climate of harmony, tolerance and appreciation with the co-existence of diverse cultures. Ms. Ho urged the students to treasure what they have, study hard and cultivate a moral self, to make new contributions to the sustainable development of Macau and ensure that the cause of “One Country, Two Systems” will be continuously advanced.

Dr. Ambrose So, Director of SJM and Chairman of the SJM Scholarship Selection Committee, in his encouragement notes to students, emphasised that mutual respect is the driving force of society. He urged the students to be humble and respectful, and have a positive attitude to work, to enhance understanding and co-operation between people for the benefit of building a harmonious society, while giving strong support to the continuous development of Macau and the motherland.

Ms. Angela Leong, Managing Director and Chief Administrative Officer of SJM, also Chairman of the SJM Staff Welfare Consultative Committee, recapped in her notes of encouragement Dr. Stanley Ho’s principle of “from society, to society”, which had led to the establishment of the SJM Scholarship Programme. She advised the students to think independently, be grateful and give back to family and society. She welcomed the students to join the Scholarship’s alumni society, and the company upon graduation, to pass on SJM’s spirit of patriotism and contribute to the betterment of Macau.

On behalf of this year’s awardees, Ms. Huang Man Cheng expressed their grateful thanks to SJM for the ongoing support in nurturing talents, so that they can have a better planning for the learning journey ahead. She pledged to seize every learning opportunity in university, and serve the community with the professional knowledge acquired. She also encouraged fellow students to remain diligent and committed in pursuit of their dreams.

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 104 students.

In addition to 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 staff were the first batch of corporate employees to attend the training course on Chinese history and culture offered jointly by Macau Millennium College and a research institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences since 2018.