The Trajectory of the Macao School Curriculum: The Making of Inter- and National Standards

Macao’s education system is a distinctive form of governance characterized by a small government (Bray and Hui 1991; Vong and Wong 2010). Its development trajectory includes a “noncentralized” governance model during the Macao Portuguese Administration, the construction of an intensive educational legal system before the handover (Vong 2016), active participation in global student assessments during posthandover (Vong and Wong 2014; Vong 2021), and recent initiatives to align with the national policies of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. This chapter examines the development trajectory and discourse surrounding Macao’s school curriculum, specifically the space and possibilities of local knowledge amid the negotiation between making international and national standards in the arena of school curriculum.