【Good News Macau】Sandy Leong Talks About How tthe Macao-wide English Essay Competition has Developed Macau Students’ Knowledge on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals

When the Macao-Wide English Essay Competition (MEEC) was launched in 2021 by its organiser, the Macao Professional Speaking Association (MPSA), it was aimed at developing local students’ English writing skills as well as their knowledge about the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). 

After holding the annual competition three times, the organising committee can see their vision working out more than they expected, each year. 

In the latest competition, for instance, the participating students were able to successfully link the theme, “Nature and Me”, to topics like environmental stewardship, natural resources, education, economy, food sources, clean energy, climate change and responsible consumption. 

Simply put, they went beyond just writing about flora and fauna, which impressed the MEEC’s organising committee, particularly its chairperson Sandy Leong. 

“It’s always inspiring to see students understand that all 17 sustainable development goals are closely intertwined,” she told Good News Macau.  

“Many of the students also reflected on recent natural disasters happening around the world, which demonstrates to us that they do pay attention to current events and reflect on their impact on life as we know it,” Leong said. 

Over 1,600 students, aged 9-25, from 47 schools across Macau – representing four categories: university, high school, middle school and upper primary – registered to join the 3rd MEEC, which was co-organised by Language Exchange and Cultural Promotion Association, Society of Food and Environmental Health (Macao), as well as the Sustainable Development Association. 

Leong pointed out that the competition’s goal has remained the same throughout the past three years, which is to encourage the younger generation to reflect on “what we can do collectively, to build a better future using the UN’s 17 SDGs as a framework to guide their ideas”.  

To help the participating students understand more about the SDGs and the competition’s themes, the organising committee has, since the second edition, added a “Discover the Global Goals” online event where guest speakers share their own experiences regarding the theme, such as their work in ongoing initiatives and campaigns in Macau and elsewhere. 

During the 3rd MEEC, with the support from Macau’s Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG), they took 30 participants on a field trip to the bureau’s station to learn about the weather science and climate change. 

Meanwhile, a total of 61 students received prizes or honourable mentions during the 3rd MEEC’s Award Ceremony at the Macao Science Centre in Nape last Saturday. 

Speaking to Good News Macau on the sidelines of the award ceremony, Pui Ching Middle School student Thomas Ho Tak In, who won the first prize in the 3rd MEEC’s middle school category, said he joined the competition to raise awareness on marine pollution. 

“When I was younger, I was already interested in marine animals, so I want to tell people to be responsible about marine life and protect the ocean,” he said. 

Ho added that through the competition, apart from learning more about the topic he wrote about, he has found a “passion in writing”, something also felt by fellow winner Jancy Cheong, from Sacred Heart Canossian College (English Section), who won the second prize in this year’s high school category for her work, entitled “Be A Nature’s Hero”.

In fact, she also won the second prize in the same category during the inaugural MEEC.

“This competition gives me the opportunity to express my ideas in English,” said Cheong. “I think this is a great opportunity because you can express your ideas while learning more about the world.”