Speeches of 2017/2018 Graduation Ceremony of 
Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau

i) Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Dr. Tam Chon Weng
    https://www.gsasc.gov.mo/show_news.aspx?lang=cn&newsid=928

ii) Chairman of Board of Directors of the College Lau Veng Seng
Distinguished guests, teachers, students, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning! Today is the 2017/2018 Graduation Ceremony of Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau. First of all, on behalf of the Kiang Wu Hospital Charitable Association and Board of Directors of the College, I would like to extend my warmest welcome and heartfelt gratitude to all the distinguished guests for your presence. Let us witness the important and joyous moments of the graduate students.

In the current academic year, Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau has graduated students from three programmes, namely 57 graduates from "Bachelor of Science in Nursing Programme", 10 graduates from "Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Nursing Programme" and 22 students from "Certificate Programme in Applied Gerontology". I hereby would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to all graduates and their guardians.
 
Dear graduates, whether you are a newcomer to the nursing industry, or a skilled practitioner with proven experience in nursing service who continues to deepen knowledge of advanced nursing and clinical application, your motivation to become a nursing professional for the public health, as well as your determination and spirit deserve our appreciation. Meanwhile, the efforts you have put into the path of learning nursing are proven to be successful and worthwhile. In addition, it is worth mentioning that the students of "Certificate Programme in Applied Gerontology" who come from various professional backgrounds have learned and enhanced their comprehensive knowledge of gerontology in order to cope with the social problem of ageing population in Macao through this multidisciplinary platform. Your endeavour and spirit of continuing studies devoted into elderly services deserve commendation.

Dear graduates, no matter in what position you are in the future, please stick with the spirit of benevolence adopted from Dr. Sun Yat-sen and College's educational philosophy of "From Personhood to Benevolence" in your mind, apply knowledge you have attained to the practical work, enrich yourselves through continuing studies, provide the country, the society, and the public with professional services, as well as support Macao's moderate economic diversification for the Greater Bay Area development.

This year marks the 95th Anniversary of Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau. With nearly a century of experience, the College has gradually developed and upgraded under the joint efforts of successive generations of Kiang Wu staff. While ensuring the quality of each programme, it has also offered multi-level and diversified nursing and health courses for making continuous contributions to the public health, nursing profession and nursing education. Therefore, the College plans to launch the "Master of Nursing Programme" in December this year in response to the needs of social and medical development as well as the demands of local nurses for continuing education. In addition to the Institutional Quality Audit for the College conducted by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) from the United Kingdom in 2015 and a programme review for two existing Bachelor's programmes, the College also invited three nursing experts to conduct an accreditation for the "Master of Nursing Programme" which was fully acknowledged by the accreditation panel in December last year. I am confident that Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau will put continuing efforts into the nursing education profession. Kiang Wu Hospital Charitable Association and the Board of Directors of the College will continue to support the development of the College and join hands and advance together with the College.

I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of Kiang Wu Hospital Charitable Association and the Board of Directors of the College, to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Macao SAR Government, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR, the community and people who have been supporting and caring for the development of the College, as well as all faculty members who have been toiling silently and making selfless dedication for the nursing education of the College.

May you and your family be blessed with good health and happiness. Thank you!

iii) Speech by KWNC President Van Iat Kio
Distinguished guests, teachers, students, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning and welcome to the 2017/2018 Graduation Ceremony of Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau. On behalf of the College, all the teachers and students, especially the graduates, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all the distinguished guests. Besides, I would also like to express my heartiest congratulations to our 89 graduates.

Dear graduates, for the achievements you have accomplished today, in addition to your own efforts and enthusiasm, you should not forget your supportive guardians and dedicated teachers who are also companions of yours. Let us express our profound respect and gratitude to the guardians and teachers with warm applause. Dear students, you are a new energetic generation with mutual expectations and goals. When the strong typhoon "Mangkhut" battered Macao this year, all people in Macao united together to battle natural calamity and most schools and businesses were closed for safety considerations. As a new generation in the medical services, you have started to collaborate hand-in-hand with other medical personnel and relief front line workers. You stuck to your position and protected the well-being of the clients and the public in the most austere surroundings. I hope that in the future, you will be able to better grasp various opportunities, keep your enthusiasm for learning, enhance your ability to innovate and practice, as well as never be complacent and give up easily. While expanding your personal career, you should also concern about the development of the motherland and Macao, become a nurse who shows love for the country and Macao, shows affection for your profession, as well as jointly making contributions to national progress and public health.

In recent years, with the fast growing medical services in Macao, the development of specialization has also accelerated. With the proposed law of the "Health Professionals' Qualification, Practice and Registration System", the establishment of Academy of Medicine and specialty certification system have also been on the agenda of the authorities. In terms of the educational work of the College, Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macao has attached great importance in the cultivation of specialty nurses and advanced practice nurses. The College has achieved orderly development of local specialty-based clinical placement venues, and conducted an accreditation of clinical placement venues in order to further promote the localization of specialty nursing education, enable students to learn more about the local healthcare system and public needs, and integrate with the nursing knowledge of the advanced areas. Besides, the College was also provided with positive feedback on local clinical placement venues and recommendations on continuous improvement by the accreditation panel consisting of excellent and experienced specialty nurses in the related fields, laying a solid foundation for the development of local specialty nursing education. At the same time, the College also plans to offer the "Master of Nursing" Programme by the end of this year to foster high-calibre nursing talents in response to a number of demands of BSN graduates for lifelong learning, as well as supplementing the shortage of teachers.

The College has been cultivating a number of nursing professionals who love the country and Macao, and devoted all efforts to the local development of nursing profession as well as nursing education. In order to shore up young people’s sense of belonging to the motherland, stimulate patriotism and national pride of teachers and students, cultivate patriotism and good moral character, the College has organized and hosted a wide variety of activities over the years, and held its first flag raising ceremony on campus in the last academic year. In addition, lectures on country's "Constitution" and "Macao's Basic Law" have been launched under the cooperation between Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau and the Faculty of Law of University of Macau to enrich student growth, motivate and encourage them to learn more about the motherland and Macao from various perspectives, and cultivate students to become law-abiding citizens and professionals.

The implementation of the amended "Higher Education Law" and related regulations has marked the new milestone of higher education in Macao. In line with relevant laws and regulations, the College has actively prepared and reformed from various perspectives in recent years, including: amending regulations, continuously updating ten-year plan for the development, adjusting teaching syllabus and course management, and exploring cooperation with the countries along "Belt and Road Initiative", Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as well as universities and medical institutions in the Portuguese-speaking countries for the construction of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and promotion of internationalization of nursing education in Macao. It is believed that the higher education in Macao will continue to thrive and develop under the new system and regulations.

Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau, as a long-established institution, is also known as a higher education institution which has fostered the most nursing personnel in Macao. Over the years, the College has achieved recognition by various accreditation agencies and the general public. Facing the future, the College is full of development opportunities and challenges brought by the new campus nearby the Islands District Medical Complex which is expected to be completed next year. At present, the College has been actively preparing for the construction and relocation of the new campus at present. The College will continue to forge ahead with a new mindset and a positive attitude, strengthen the cultivation for more excellent practical and applied nursing and health science talents in the society.

We are deeply grateful for the strong support received from the Macao SAR Government and the communities, as well as the leadership of the Kiang Wu Hospital Charitable Association and the Board of Directors of the College for the accomplishments over the years and future development of the College. On behalf of the College, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the Charitable Association and the Board of Directors of the College, the Macao SAR Government and various departments, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR, the philanthropists and institutions providing patronage for the development of the College and student scholarships, Kiang Wu Hospital, Conde de São Januário Central Hospital, University Hospital, clinical and partnering institutions inside and outside Macao, as well as media friends who have long supported and helped the College. We hope that we can gain your continuing support and encouragement in the future. Lastly, I wish all graduates a promising future in their nursing profession and wish you all good health, progress in your career and happy family life. Thank you!