Prepared and Presented by :Pedro Ximenes

Adelaide, 18 March 2014

ISSUES IN TIMOR-LESTE EDUCATION SECTOR

Outline of Presentation.

I. Fact sheet about Timor-Leste II. Education system in Timor-LesteIII. Issues in education

1. Lack of infrastructure2. Lack of qualified Human Resource3. Socio Economic issues4. Geographic Location5. Culture6. Education Policy

IV. Impact from issue surrounding educationV. Milestones AchievedVI. Conclusion and suggestion

I. Fact sheet about Timor-Leste

Area : 14,874 sq km (160 )

Population : 1,172,390 (160)

Age structure :

0-14 years: 42.7% (male 257,340/female 243,174)

15-24 years: 19.7% (male 116,605/female 114,203)

25-54 years: 29.3% (male 166,048/female 177,024)

55-64 years: 4.8% (male 28,717/female 27,011)

65 years and over: 3.6% (male 20,428/female 21,840)

Adult literacy rate : 58.3%

GDP per capita : $10,000 (119)

Languages : Tetum (official), Portuguese (official), Indonesian, English (Working

languages)

There are about 16 indigenous languages

Urban population: 28.3% of total population

II. Education System in Timor-Leste

2 years of pre-school-not compulsory (kindy)

9 years of compulsory and free basic education (primary education and lower secondary)

3 years of secondary education or technical and vocational secondary education

1-4 years of university conferring degree from diploma up to bachelor

Master and doctorate (available through international cooperation with international institutions from Indonesia, Portugal and brazil)

III. Issues in Education1. Lack of Infrastructure

Main Infrastructure (schools, chairs, tables ) During the withdrawal of the occupying

Indonesian forces in 1999, 90% of Timor-Leste's public infrastructure and buildings including schools were destroyed

Out of 1530 schools (2010) with 22,773 classrooms, 70% of are in a precarious condition and will require repairs and renovations very shortly.

Supporting Infrastructure (Toilets, Running water, water canalization, books, pencils, textbook, school clothes) Most of schools don’t have basic proper

sanitation facility

2. Lack of Qualified Human resources

Teachers

School Leaders /school principals Most of teacher fled Timor after

1999, leaving only few hundred teachers at 2000

The number of teachers are doubled, from 5,700 to over 12,000 since 2003.

Many teachers have been recruited and trained across the country, resulting in better student-teacher ratio from 45:1 to 28:1.

3. Socio Economic issue

Poverty many family can only afford to keep their child in

school up to 9 grade (compulsory, free education), because of reliance on subsistence farming many

boys and even girls are forced to work on field helping their parents to assure the food availability.

Health (mal nutrition, disease (malaria, dengue )

Lack of funding Less then 10% of gov. funding is allocated to education, of these

3% goes to staff salary

Unemployment

4. Geographic Location

isolation,

rough terrain,

lack or even inexistence of access to school

No road, no bridge (during monsoon season students may not be able to go to school, some even become victim of flash flood on their way to school)

5. Culture

Over emphasis on cultural and tradition (Huge burden to family economy)

Preference on boys over girl (paternalistic culture, still visible especially in rural areas)

Young age marriage (especially for girls)

6. Education Policy

Language policy.

Gap between policy planning and implementation

Almost inexistence of assessment and evaluation of education

Over emphasis in General secondary education

V. Milestones Achieved

More student enrolled in schools

Increased number of teachers (96% from 2000 to 2010)

Many teachers have been recruited and trained across the country, resulting in better student-teacher ratio from 45:1 to 28:1.

VI. Suggestion

Better planning and focus on the quality of school infrastructure School mapping, school cluster (don’t just rebuilt old

school, need assessment) Maintenance of school building (needs coordinated effort

from min, education) Need to build supporting facility (toilets, running water,

fences) Maintain security on school premises Focus on the rural education Attention to private education system

Capacity development on current teacher (in house training) and the need to restructure current teacher education program

VI. Suggestion….. Cont..

Focus on eradicating poverty through capacity development and up skilling subsistence farming to exchange family food availability. (not through subsidy or giving away money).

Improvement in road condition, construction and rehabilitation of bridges to enable more access to school.

More funding on education but please get rid of these

Although culture needs to be preserved as national heritage, however there should be a radical change in the mindset of rural people ( again education is a key factor)

The need to revise the policy Is Portuguese still relevant as the official language ? (it’s been 12 years

Now) Further investment in Mother tongue based education is necessary.

“Thank you”

“ Obrigado wain”