DISCUSSION PAPER

A resource to guide continued engagement between

Victoria University and Timor-Leste
 Table of Contents
GLOSSARY 3

INTRODUCTION 4
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5

NOTE FROM A TIMORESE STUDENT AT VU 6-8

REPORT OVERVIEW 9

SRATEGY 9-10

PART ONE: BACKGROUND & KEY CONCEPTS 11

TIMOR-LESTE IN CONTEXT 12

TIMOR-LESTE STATISTICS 13-15

EDUCATION IN TIMOR-LESTE 15-17

GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE ON EDUCATION 18-19

RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION & EDUCATION 19-20

STRATEGIC PLANS 20-21

PART THREE: THE VU TIMOR-LESTE ALLIANCE 21

VUS ENGAGEMENT WITH TIMOR-LESTE 22

TURNING POINTS IN ENGAGEMENT 23-24

SELECTED PHOTOGRAPHS DEPICTING ENGAGEMENT 25

PART FOUR: 2015 UNTL-VU CONFERENCE: FINDING PATHWAYS IN EDUCATION 26

OVERVIEW OF CONFERENCE 27-30

SUMMARY OF CONFERENCE ISSUES & RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THEMATIC STREAMS 30-37

PART FIVE: LESSONS FOR EDUCATION IN TIMOR-LESTE 38

OVERVIEW OF LESSONS 39

BIBLIOGRAPHY 62-63

1
 GLOSSARY

ANAAA National Agency for Academic Accreditation and Assessment

ASEAN Association of South East Asian Nations

AusAID Australian Agency for International Development (government aid agency) Previously known as
AIDAB, and before that ADAB and ADAA. (no longer exists)

BNC-TL Banco Nacional Comrcio de Timor-Leste National Comercial Bank of TL

CAVR Comisso de Acolhimento, Verdade e Reconciliao (Commission for Reception, Truth and
Reconciliation)

Chega! "Enough" in Portuguese title of the main Report of the CAVR

CNIC Centro Nacional de Investigaao Cientifica - National Research Centre located at UNTL

CNRT (1) Conselho Nacional de Resistencia Timorense umbrella organization of the Resistance, took the
name in 1998 and was formerly known as the CNRM (Concelho Nacional Resistencia Maubere)

CNRT (2) Conselho Nacional de Reconstruo Timorense political party formed in 2007 (National Council of
Timorese Reconstruction)

DIT Dili Institute of Technology (Private, dual sector educational institution)

INDMO Instituto Nacional de Desenvolvimento de Mo de Obra - National Labour Force Development

INTERFET International Force East Timor coalition of the willing led by Australia, entered East Timor
October 1999

IOB Institute of Business, a private tertiary education institute in Dili

Konselu de Suku Tetum for Village Council

SEPFOPE Secretaria de Estado Para a Politica da Formao Professional e Emprego

UNAMET United Nations Mission in East Timor (June - October 1999)

UNDIL University of Dili (private university in Dili)

UNDP United Nations Development Programme

UNPAZ University of Peace, private university owned by Dr Lucas da Costa

UNPE Uniao Nacional de Pequenas Empresas National Union of Small Enterprises

UNTAET United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (October 1999 May 2002)

UNTL Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosae - National University of East Timor founded November 2001

UNTIM Universitas Timor Timur - University of East Timor (predecessor of UNTL)

UNTAET United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor

Xefe de Suku Tetum for Chief of Village

2
INTRODUCTION
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION

NOTE FROM A TIMORESE STUDENT AT VU

REPORT OVERVIEW

STRATEGY

3
ITRODUCTION

The purpose of this report is to provide Victoria University (VU) with a resource that can be used to
guide future engagement with the worlds second newest nation, Timor-Leste. As a dual-sector post-
secondary education provider, VU recognises the importance of understanding the issues, lessons and
challenges that Timor-Leste is confronted with, as the new nation undertakes the task of building a high
quality education system from a low base, and to encourage it to play its role in the broader process of
nation-building.

In order to provide VU with a strong foundation for the next era of engagement with Timor-Leste
beyond 2015, this discussion paper presents information that has emerged from the long-standing and
diverse partnership between the university and the nation. It starts by outlining key lessons for Timor-
Lestes education system as a whole to preface and contextualise the recommendations for future
engagement made nearer the end.

The longstanding relationship between VU and Timor-Leste has been defined by strong visions of
people of Timor-Leste and those at VU and other associates who have been working together for a
number of years. They have defined and enabled a unique culture of two-way learning across a range
of different fields of study and action, which we aspire to prolong. We appreciate the intentions of these
early pioneers and trust that their work will continue to be valuable to Timor-Leste and its educational
institutions

We invite the VU community to utilize this discussion paper when considering involvement with
Timor-Leste across the many and diverse fields that are made possible by the partnership between VU
and Timor-Leste.

Benjamin Townsend & Dr Helen Hill

4
NOTE FROM A TIMORESE STUDENT AT VU

A reflection on education, VU & Timor-Leste

I was student and did my grade 1 and 2 during Indonesian

Occupation. My experience of studying during Indonesian time,
in general, was great. However, something which I found
different was the language used throughout the teaching and
learning process in class. I am Timorese and Tetum is my native
language, but the language was not used in the teaching and
learning process in the class instead, Bahasa Indonesian was
used. But, as a student during that period, as a requirement, I
had to be able to master the Indonesian language in order to
pass. I managed to learn and mastered the language. In reality,
when I got home, most of the time, I did not speak Bahasa
Indonesia, but spoke Tetum.

When it comes to teaching and learning processes, the approach during the Indonesian occupation was
teacher-centred - teachers spoke in the class, told students what to do and write and wrote on
blackboards, and students also got less opportunities to talk and express their opinion in the class. This
experience had led me to possess very low public speaking skills as I never got the opportunity to
practice such skills in the classroom.

As a young Timorese person in the independence period, I see myself different to our young people in
Indonesian Occupation. The young Timorese during the Indonesian period were brave people, living in
discrimination, oppression, sacrificed their lives, tirelessly studying to develop Timor as well as fighting
endlessly to liberate our people from oppression committed by the Indonesian military.

As a young person in the Independence period, I perceive myself as a future of Timor-Leste who will
use education to advance the country. This is inspired by a slogan that I heard from a campaign which
says that young people are the future of Timor-Leste. When I listened to this slogan it made me aware
that I have a responsibility for my country and I have to continue what our young people in the past
have done to our beloved country East Timor. I believe one thing that I could do to help Timor in the
independence period is to get a good education, study and contribute to the process of nation building.

Being a student since independence gave me a new experience. Since I studied in primary school in
2000, Portuguese started to be introduced as a subject as well as the language of instruction. The
teaching and learning approach is still teacher-centred in some ways, but the difference now is the
language used in the class is Portuguese. I found it very difficult to learn Portuguese as I had no solid

5
foundation. The resources to support students learning the language were very limited. Teachers in the
class sometimes spoke Portuguese and they were not aware whether their students understood what they
were saying or not. I found it very frustrating. But, was lucky, because in 2002, the Indonesian language
was also used as a language of instruction which helped me get better learning outcomes.

Studying since Independence also provides a lot of opportunities for Timorese students to experience
living and studying in foreign countries. Nowadays, a number of Timorese students have been awarded
scholarships to pursue their higher education in overseas with universities in countries like Australia,
New Zealand, USA, UK, Portugal, Brazil, Singapore, the Philippines, India, Indonesia, Macao etc. This
is very promising for East Timor in terms of its development as the students studying overseas will
return with high level of knowledge and skills that will enable them to advance East Timors
development.

As a part of younger generation (Jerasaun Foun), I perceive education as a tool that gives me knowledge
and skills which enable me to contribute to East Timors development. Education also gives hope for
the younger generations future.

Education produces human resources, education educates people and education also frees people from
poverty, oppression and social injustice. East Timor needs engineers, doctors, teachers and other
professionals to reinforce its development. Education is one of the most vital tools that could inspire
and produce the future professionals of Timor-Leste. Therefore, I have no doubt that education will
play significant role for the nation building. However, nowadays, the Timorese Government investment
in education still at a very low level. This could indicate that the level of seriousness of Government to
improve the quality of education is still not at a high level.

I personally expect that in the process of improving the quality of education, the Timorese Government
could consult with younger generation and ask what does education mean to them, what quality of
education that younger generation expects and what policies would benefit them including the language
policy. The reasons for saying that is because nowadays the majority of East Timor population are
young people and they are the future of the country. They are affected by the policies that are created
by the Government. If the policies that are created are effective, they will lead us to a clear direction. If
the policies that are created are not effective, it will mislead young people.

Therefore, as a younger generation, we have the right to have a say what we believe are the best for us.
I believe by consulting with young people, Timor-Leste will create inclusion, increase young peoples
civic participation, allowing them to have a sense of ownership and also allow them to feel valued as a
citizen.

6
Since independence, East Timor also has received a wide range of assistance for development from
various countries, International NGOs and Education Institutions including Victoria University. I
strongly believe education plays a vital role in Timors development. The assistance from the
International community in the education area would be very significant to boost the development in
education area. Areas that still require improvements include aid in teacher training, exchanging
teachers, exchanging ideas, school infrastructure such as library and technology that support and
facilitate teaching and learning process such as internet and computers. As a Victoria University student,
I am very proud that VU has been one of the major partners for Timor-Lestes development. I am now
undertaking my Bachelor degree and am very grateful of what I have experienced at VU with the
support from the teachers, lectures, university facilities and student services that have been
tremendously effective to support my learning experience. I hope VU will continue assisting Timor-
Leste in education area to build on its important achievements so far.

Joaquim J. M. Soriano Viana

VU Community Development student; Recipient of DFAT Awards Scholarship; and former President
of the East Timor Student Association (ETSA)

7
OVERVIEW

VU aspires to be an international university making a distinctive contribution to the Asian Century

through key partnerships. Timor-Leste is a key partner of VUs international agenda. The VU Strategic
Plan adopted a clause in 2011 identifying engagement with Timor-Leste as a defining feature of the
university.

This discussion paper marks a time of transition for the long-standing relationship between VU and
Timor-Leste. With the significant social and economic progress made by Timor-Leste throughout its
post-independence period, it can be used as a resource to recognize these achievements and the role that
VU has played in them.

This discussion paper draws on evidence related to the development of Timor-Leste, current
government programs and policies, as well as the most recent UNTL-VU conference titled Finding
Pathways in Education, to inform a framework for continued engagement between VU, the government
of Timor-Leste and other institutions and organisations working in the field of education and human
resource development in that country.

STRATEGY

The discussion papers primary objective is to provide information and analysis which will assist
decision makers in Melbourne and Dili in determining the next steps to take in strengthening the long-
standing relationship between VU and Timor-Leste.

To achieve this objective it aims:

To outline key lessons for education in Timor-Leste, map past and current engagement between
VU and various institutions in Timor-Leste and present VU and Timorese decision makers with
a framework to guide the institutions continued engagement in both Australia and Timor-
Leste;
To expand on existing efforts and successes by suggesting a framework for VUs continued
engagement in Timor-Leste across the public and private sectors, as the new nation continues
its process of nation building following over 500 years of colonial occupation.

With a core focus on educational development in Timor-Leste, this paper utilizes 3 main information
sources:

1) Government agenda - existing policies, legislation, decree-laws, programs, plans and

analyses by government and non-government sources in Timor-Leste;
2) VUs previous and current engagement in Timor-Leste in Timor-Leste and in Melbourne;

8
 3) Conference findings and recommendations that emerged at the UNTL-VU conference titled
Finding Pathways in Education, held in Dili, Timor-Leste in July 2015.

In doing so, the discussion paper can be used as a course to ensure that VU:

Works in conjunction with current and projected priorities of Timorese Ministries and
education institutions;
Works collaboratively with VUs Alumni in Timor-Leste;
Recognizes the strengths, weaknesses and difficulties of, as well as future opportunities for,
engagement between VU and Timor-Leste.

9
 PART ONE
BACKGROUND & KEY CONCEPTS
CONTENTS
TIMOR-LESTE IN CONTEXT

TIMOR-LESTE STATISTICS

EDUCATION IN TIMOR-LESTE

GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE ON EDUCATION

RURAL URBAN MIGRATION & EDUCATION

STRATEGIC PLANS

10
TIMOR-LESTE IN CONTEXT

The Democratic Republic of East Timor, most commonly referred to as Timor-Leste, is undergoing a
process of state building after over 450 years of colonial occupation under Portuguese and Indonesian
administrations, the latter of which was a military led-occupation under the Suharto regime. Timorese
have a very keen awareness of their history and it is important to understand Timor-Lestes recent
history when considering working with Timorese people.

After 24 years under Indonesian military rule, the former Portuguese colony achieved the right to self-
determination in 1999 when in a referendum coordinated by the United Nations Mission in East Timor
(UNAMET) 78.5% of the Timorese people voted in favour of independence on 30 August 1999, when
approximately 98% of registered voters went to the polls. But immediately on the announcement of the
result, pro-Indonesian militias with the support of Indonesian security forces, launched a campaign of
violence, looting and arson throughout the entire territory. As a result, many Timorese were killed and
as many as 500,000 (75% of the population) were displaced from their homes and around 70% of the
territorys infrastructure destroyed, with communications and educational infrastructure being
particularly targeted leading to the destruction of around eighty per cent of the territorys schools and
training centres.1

On 16 September 1999 a United Nations Security Council resolution authorised the International Force
in East Timor (INTERFET), an 11,000-strong coalition of the willing led by Australia to re-install
law and order and peace and security to East Timor.2 On 25 October 1999 after the territory regained
peace and security, the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) was
established. The role of UNTAET was to administer the territory, exercise legislative and executive
authority during the transition period and support capacity-building for self-government.3 Elections
were held for a Constituent Assembly to write the Constitution, the CA turned itself into the first
Parliament, Presidential elections were held and Timor-Leste announced its independence on 20 May
2002.

Since independence, Timor-Leste has made considerable progress towards building a peaceful state.
However challenges for future development are numerous. Education for all Timorese is widely
considered paramount to this process of development.

Timor-Leste remains a country where 70% are subsistence cultivators, yet increasing sums of money
are spent on importing food. Of urgency are strategies for persuading and teaching farmers to produce
a surplus to create internal markets in food and to create work in the food processing, value-adding,
food transport, communications and marketing fields. The UNDP Human Development Report of 2006
stressed the immediate importance of developing the non-oil economy.

11
TIMOR-LESTE: STATISTICS4
Demographics

Population 1,246,000 approx. (2012)

Median age 18.5 years (2014 est)

Age structure between 0-14 years 45.8% (2013)

Age structure between 15-59 years 48.9% (2013)

Age structure 60 years and over 5.3% (2013)

Age breakdown by gender in 20105

Health Indicators

Infant mortality rate per 1000 live births 39.3

Life expectancy at birth 67.3 years

Number of children per woman 5.9

Education

Literacy of total population 58% (2012)

Primary/secondary gross enrolment (f/m per 100) 89.8/92.3

12
Economy

GDP US $5 billion

GDP per capita US $3,664

International Reserves in Petroleum Fund US $687 million

Labour Force

Largest labour market share 70% (approx.) subsistence farmers

Participation rate (male/female) 41.7 (56.2/26.9)

POPULATION: GROWTH, DENSITY AND DISTRIBUTION

Population growth (1980-2015)67

Surface area & density of population by district: 2010-2015

13
Population distribution by percentage share of municipality

EDUCATION IN TIMOR-LESTE

Four distinct administrative periods have influenced the evolution of education in Timor-Leste to date
Portuguese colonial rule (early 1500s to 1975), Indonesian occupation (1975-1999), the United
Nations administration (October 1999 to May 2002) and the post-UN mission period (November 2012
to present). 8 Each of these administrations has introduced new ways of working language, civil
service, and structure into the education system, and indeed into governance as a whole. The
Portuguese, through a Concordat with the Catholic Church, introduced a colonial education system
primarily serving the elite with a second-rate system for the masses, which had among its objectives
not-raising aspirations. 9 The Indonesian administration expanded education rapidly to include
groupings which previously had not access to education but in doing so it very much compromised
quality and imposed uniformity and discouraged questioning among students. Both systems were
monolingual although under the Portuguese administration and there was also a system of Chinese-
medium schools. The legacy of the two colonial systems is still evident in contemporary Timor-Lestes
education system.

When the East Timorese people voted for their independence in the ballot in 1999, the 800,000-strong
population ended a 24year long struggle for independence. Despite there being an overwhelming
majority of the population who voted for independence, 22% of East Timorese opted for provincial
autonomy within Indonesia. The main argument for the continuation of Indonesian annexation was on
the grounds of education and the Indonesian governments philosophy of education for all.10 The reach
of formal education increased by sixty times within the first ten years of the Indonesian occupation.
National education policies enabling this in the Indonesian territory of East Timor included the
incorporation of Indonesian cultural practice, Indonesian patriotic symbolism, and the Indonesian

14
language, Bahasa Indonesia. Over eighty per cent of primary and high school teachers and staff were
Indonesian. Minimal, if any, formal education or training was provided to the few East Timorese
teachers who were given teaching roles. During the destruction following the announcement of the
ballot in September 1999, the majority of Indonesian teachers left and returned to Indonesia leaving the
secondary school system in a very poor state, however the primary school system, with more Timorese
teachers, fared a little better.

Since the nations Restoration of Independence in 2002, the education system has grappled with a
substantial skills deficit among teachers as demonstrated by the large amount of unskilled and
unqualified school teachers. The thirteen years since Timor-Lestes independence has seen a large-scale
investment in to the nations education system, including substantial efforts to rebuild a national
education infrastructure.

STRUCTURES OF EDUCATION IN TIMOR-LESTE

Executive Institutions

The Ministry of Education

The major role and responsibility of the education ministry is Development and Coordination of
national policies, plans, and programs in education. The Minister of Education is Antonio de Conceio
and the two Vice-Ministers are Dulce de Jesus Soares and Abel da Costa Ximenes. Since 2007, the
Ministry of Education has taken responsibility for recruiting students into UNTL.

SEPFOPE (Secretaria de Estado Para a Politica da Formao Professional e Emprego)

SEPFOPE (Secretariat of State for Vocational Training Policy and Employment) was created in 2007
and is responsible for promoting and regulating, but not necessarily delivering professional training in
the country. The Secretary of State, Ilidio Ximenes, has been in the position since 2007.

Independent Regulatory Authorities

INDMO (Instituto Nacional de Desenvolvimento de Mo de Obra)

INDMO (The National Labour Force for Development Institute), was created in 2007 to approve
competency skills standards, registration and issuance of national qualifications, and to accredit training
providers. INDMO has steadily increased the number of content areas and levels where courses are
registered. Together with Industry Sub-Commissions (ISCs), national qualifications across seven
industry areas have been developed. Foundation and level 1 and 2 course materials have been developed
through the recently established learning resource development centre (SDRA). Moreover, 14 training
providers are currently delivering national qualifications at the foundation level and levels 1 to 4.

15
ANAAA (Agencia Nacional para a Avaliacao Acreditacao Academica)

ANAAA (National Agency for Academic Accreditation and Assessment) accredits higher education
institutions. There are currently eleven institutions accredited by ANAAA of which four are
universities (Universidade Nacional Timor-Lorosae (UNTL); Universidade da Paz (UNPAZ);
Universidade de Dili (UNDIL); Universidade Oriental Timor-Lorosae) and seven are institutes (Dili
Institute of Technology (DIT); Instituto Catolico para a Formao de Professores; Instituto Ciencias
Religiosas Sao Tomas de Aquino; Institute of Business (IOB); Instituto Superior Cristal; East Timor
Coffee Institute; Instituto Professional de Canossa).

The National Qualifications Framework

The Timor-Leste National Qualification Framework (TLNQF) was approved in August 2011 and is
comprised of 10 levels. Foundation level and levels 1-4 are considered to be technical vocational
training and education (TVET) levels and are under the regulation of INDMO while levels 5-6 are
regulated by the National Agency for Academic Accreditation and Assessment (ANAAA) which
operates under the auspices of the Ministry of Education. Qualifications are offered by institutions
registered with SEPFOPE and accredited by INDMO, which includes government training agencies,
and some institutes and academies certified by ANAAA. Vocational schools registered with the
Ministry of Education can also apply for accreditation to deliver national qualifications:11

GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE ON EDUCATION

16
Budget allocations are made by the Parliament following recommendations from the Council of
Ministers, which then need to be approved by the President. The largest part of all budgetary allocations
come from the Petroleum Fund, which the Parliament votes on each year. It is widely recognised that
the percentage spent on education needs to be raised, yet in January 2016 prompted by the Presidents
12
rejection of the budget, the parliament refused to raise it. The following diagram depict Timor-
Lestes allocation of budget spending for 2016.

17
RURAL URBAN MIGRATION AND EDUCATION

Of special concern in Timor-Leste is of the very high and increasing population growth, which in
combination with a relatively modest growth of gross domestic product (GDP) means that per capita
income is declining and the extent of poverty is growing. 13 As displayed below, Timor-Lestes
population is more concentrated in urban areas. This is particularly relevant to the nations capital, Dili,
which has been the location of the disproportionate physical development compared to rural areas since
gaining independence in 2002. However, this is despite the capital city being home to only 21% of the
nations entire population.

Since the cessation of the UNs missions to restore governance and democratic legitimacy in November
2012, the government, in conjunction with in-country International Non-Government Organisations
(INGOs) and locally operated Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), has been attempting to

18
decentralize essential services across the country to meet the needs of the majority of the population
who live in rural areas. However, there still has been no election of Municipal Councils, although at a
lower level Xefe de Suku (Village Chiefs) and Konselu de Suku (Village Councils) are elected.

In response to the increasingly centralized territory, in 2015 The World Bank stated that ensuring the
young population are educated, healthy and productively employed is arguably the biggest development
challenge facing Timor-Leste over the next decade [and that] poverty remains persistently high,
particularly in rural areas, where the majority of the population lives.14 A big problem for equitable
development in Timor-Leste is that so many young Timorese migrate to Dili either for high school or
university. This requires their parents to save or borrow large sums of money, which is inevitably
transferred from regional to urban areas (such as Dili, Baucau and Maliana). It also deprives the rural
areas of a generation of workers who could make a great contribution.

TIMOR-LESTE STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN: 2011-2030

The Timor-Leste Strategic Development Plan: 2011-2030 15 is a twenty-year plan that was launched
in 2011. It adopted the same strategic vision as the first Development Plan launched at independence
in 2002 which envisaged that:
Timor-Leste will be a prosperous society with adequate food, shelter and clothing for all people;
People will be literate, knowledgeable and skilled. They will be healthy and live long, productive
lives. They will actively participate in economic, social and political development, promoting
social equality and national unity;
People will no longer be isolated, because there will be good roads, transport, electricity and
communications in the towns and villages in all regions of the country;
Production and employment will increase in all sectors agriculture, fisheries and forestry;
Living standards and services will improve for all Timorese.

NATIONAL STRATEGIC EDUCATION PLAN: 2011-2030

A Strategic Education Plan16 was also developed in 2011 to work out some strategies to achieve this
vision. The plan is divided in to several sections based on the different types of education across the
country. These sections include:
Pre-school: early childhood education, which envisages that children between 3-5 years of age
will have access to begin their quality education in a school that is close to the place where they
live;
Basic education, which envisages that education will incorporate overall and guiding directives
based on the following four pillars of learning: learning to know, learning to do, learning to live
together and with others, and learning to be;

19
 Secondary education, which envisages that graduates will learn practical applications of their
relevant knowledge to the productive processes in Timor-Leste and will be prepared to join the
labour market and/or continue studies at university or polytechnic levels;
Higher education, which envisages that graduates will have the advanced skills and knowledge to
analyse, design, build and maintain the social and economic infrastructure of Timor-Leste.

20
 PART THREE
THE VU - TIMOR-LESTE
ALLIANCE
CONTENTS

VUS ENGAGEMENT WITH TIMOR-LESTE

TURNING POINTS IN ENGAGEMENT

SELECTED PHOTOGRAPHS DEPCITING ENGAGEMENT

21
VICTORIA UNIVERSITYS ENGAGEMENT WITH TIMOR-LESTE
VU people have played a significant role in the development of Timor-Leste since its pre-
independence period. Advocacy, provision of education and training services and numerous
knowledge-sharing workshops, seminars and conferences both in Timor-Leste and Australia
highlight VUs commitment to advancing itself as a leader throughout the Asian Century and
a strategic partner of Timor-Leste.

Formal relationships

VU currently has Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Dili Institute of Technology

(DIT) and Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosae (UNTL)

Programs

VU has been involved with Timor-Leste across a number of different fields, including:

Study tours across the Engineering, Education and Community Development courses;
Student exchange programs (between VU and UNTLs Education and Community
Development programs) 2007 and 2013,14;
Numbers of Timorese studying for degrees at VU under Australian Government
scholarships and the VU Foundation.
Short-term study placements by Timorese under the Australian Leadership Awards
(Fellowships) to address particular training needs (2007 and 2011).
VU Student placements with Timorese institutions in Engineering, Education and
Community Development;
Numerous student research projects with research in Timor-Leste to fulfil course
requirements at Honours, Masters and PhD levels by Timorese and other VU students.
A Special Collection in the VU Library at Footscray Park campus on documents, theses
etc. on Timor-Leste. The following link can be used to access information about the
collection:hhttps://www.vu.edu.au/library/researcher-support/special-collections-
archives/timor-leste-collection
Vocational Education Professional Development programs (run in conjunction with the
Victorian Government of Premier and Cabinet and the Government of Timor-Leste)
Biennial VU-UNTL Public Affairs Conferences in Dili linked with the Timor-Leste Studies
Association conferences.
Seminars in Melbourne by Timorese, e.g. Jose Ramos Horta 1999, 2001 and 2015, then
Minister for Health, Dr Nelson Martins 2007, ALAs Cristovo dos Reis, Dean of the Faulty
of Economics 2011, Secretary of State for Energy Policy Avelino Coelho, 2012; Head of
UNTLs Institute of Linguistics Dr Benjamin Corte Real 2014, VU, Timorese investigative
journalist Jose Belo, 2014; PhD graduate Dr Joao Noronha 2015 etc.

22
 TURNING POINTS IN VU ENGAGEMENT WITH TIMOR-LESTE

1980s Timorese refugee students start coming to VU and benefit from its being a dual-sector institution (TAFE and
Higher Education) and gain access to pathways to a variety of qualifications
1990s

1999 The Resistance Coalition, the CNRT invites VU to co-host a conference titled Strategic Development
Planning for East Timor, the first day is held at VUs City campus

VU East Timor Working Group is founded by VU Lecturer Dr Helen Hill with support from the Vice-
Chancellor Jarlath Ronayne, at a dinner to welcome the resistance leader, Xanana Gusmo, to Melbourne.

2001 Universidade Nacional Timor Loro Sae (UNTL) is opened with Armindo Maia as first Rector. Dr Helen Hill
of VU spend her study leave at CNIC (Centro Nacional Investigaao Cientifica) the National Research
Centre.

Helen Hill leads a VU delegation to observe the elections for the first Parliament, it includes Jean McLean,
Brian Fairman, Andrew Funston and PhD students Nevin Knezevic and Joo Cnio Freitas.

2002 VU welcomes first Timorese students on AusAID Scholarships and the East Timor Student Association
(ETSA) is founded by Alex Tilman and Nivio Magalhes.

Timor-Leste celebrates the Restoration of its Independence on 20 th May 2002, a delegation from Victoria
University attends including Council members Jean McLean and Peter McMullin.

Head of VU TAFE, Richard Carter visits Timor-Leste with Brian Fairman and identifies need for TAFE
training in five fields: Office Administration, Accounting, Electronics (IT), Librarianship and Hospitality &
Tourism.

2003 VU confers a Doctorate of Law, Honoris Causa, on Xanana Gusmo

Joao Cnio Freitas completes his PhD in Business at VU and returns to Timor to establish DIT, a dual sector
institution, modelled on VU. VU begins to work with DIT to implement some of the courses suggested by the
TAFE delegation in 2002.

2004 The VU Foundation opens a Timor-Leste window and collect donations to support students who would be
ineligible for other scholarships to attend VU, the first student is Alex Gusmo Freitas, who was given
Recognition of Prior Learning to complete a BA Degree in Asia-Pacific Community Development

The first study tour for the unit Timor-Leste: History Politics and Society is led by Helen Hill in Timor-Leste
for students enrolled at VU and other Victorian universities

Dr Russell Wright, Dr Helen Hill and Timorese sessional lecturer Dr Balthasar Kehi visit Timor-Leste as a
delegation from the then Department of Social Inquiry and Community Studies to look at ways of co-operating
with UNTL. Vice Rector (International Co-operation) Dr Aurelio Guterres, suggests they develop a joint
Resource Centre with the Community Development Department and co-operation begins on the development
of curricula and acquisition of learning materials.

2005 Victoria University hosts a conference in collaboration with the Australia-East Timor Association and the
National Network of Development Studies of ANU at the Convention Centre in Flinders Street entitled Co-
operating with Timor-Leste. Speakers include Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, Minister for Agriculture
Estanislau da Silva, Secretary of State for Labor and Solidarity and Dr Aurelio Guterres, Vice-Rector for
International co-operation UNTL. The National Network of Development studies publishes a book based on
the papers.

VU co-ordinates a Certificate I and Diploma V in Training and Assessment via DIT which is taught in Bahasa
Indonesia. Over 150 Timorese acquire certification.

23
2006 Ismenio Martins da Silva, (currently head of the Human Capital Development Fund) arrives at VU to undertake
postgraduate International Community Development on a scholarship from the Victoria University
Foundation.

2007 Six Timorese come to VU for three months under the Australian Leadership Awards Fellowships to study the
topic Engaging Young People in Decision-making they include two lecturers from UNTL, Jose da Costa
Magno and Zacarias da Costa of the Community Development Department. At the same time six exchange
students from UNTL study at VU for a Semester from the English Department and the Community
Development Department funded under the Endeavour Exchange scheme.

2008 Joao Cnio Freitas becomes Education Minister in the 4 th Constitutional Government and recruits VU
International staff member Brian Fairman his adviser on VET

2009 VU Chancellor Frank Vincent confers a Doctorate of Law, Honoris Causa, on President Jos Ramos Horta

Dulce de Jesus Soares, later to become Vice Minister for Education, graduates with her MA in International
Community Development.

The first joint conference co-ordinated by VU and UNTL entitled Transforming Timor-Leste for Human
Rights, Sustainable Development and Peace takes place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dili. Speakers
include Dr Rui Gomes of UNDP, Chief Prosecutor Ana Pessoa and Chief Magistrate Ian Gray of Melbourne.
Large numbers of attendees also attend the first Timor-Leste Studies Association conference held immediately
before it.

2011 VU Faculty of Education sends its first annual study tour to Timor-Leste led by Julie Arnold and Dr Peter
Thomas, students do teaching practice with UNTL students.

The second joint international conference in Dili coordinated by VU and UNTL titled Knowledge, attitudes
and skills for Timor-Lestes development is held in Dili. Speakers include Minister for Education Joao Cnio
Freitas, Minister for Health Nelson Martins and former Minister for Health Rui Arajo.

Three Deans, Vice-Deans, a Head of Department and a Librarian from UNTL spend three months at VU under
the Australian Leadership Awards (Fellowships) looking at University Governance, curriculum development
and teaching methods. They are visiting a Council Meeting when the VU Council adopts Timor-Leste as part
of the Universitys Strategic Development Plan.

2013 VU-UNTL Exchange Program between Community Development courses is piloted by two VU students Ben
Townsend and Jessie Lopez. The following year two UNTL students, Elvino Barbosa and Joo Carlos Freitas
spend a semester studying at VU funded by the VU Foundation.

VU Engineering Study tour led by Euan Nichol and Michael Thorpe with DIT students on sustainable building.

The third UNTL-VU Conference is held in Dili, titled Future Directions for Food in Timor-Leste. Speakers
include: now-Vice Minister II for Education Abel Larasina Ximenes, VU Nutritions Professor Lily
Stojanovska and VU Engineerings Professor Graham Thorpe and Euan Nichol.

2015 The fourth UNTL-VU Conference is held in Dili, titled Finding Pathways in Education. Speakers include
Prime Minister Dr Rui Araujo, Vice Minister 1 for Education Dulce de Jesus Soares, Head of IT at UNTL Dr
Abel Pires da Silva, Vice-Rector of UNTL Edmundo Vieigas, and Dr Francisco Martins, head of Postgraduate
Studies (now Rector) UNTL, Lita Sarmento of the Timor-Leste National Commission for UNESCO and Isabel
Fernandes de Lima of INDMO. Professor Ron Adams conducts two very popular seminars on Research
supervision at UNTL.

Two Timorese graduate with PhDs from VU, Dr Joao Noronha with a thesis on Development Planning and
Dr Emanuel Braz with a thesis on Timorese Identity.

SELECTED PHOTOGRAPHS DEPICTING VU TIMOR-LESTE ENGAGEMENT

24
 A group of East Timorese students at
the VU graduation ceremony wait for
their Certificate IV in Education and
Training, administered by VU (taught
in Bahasa Indonesia), 2005.

Graduating Timorese students and VU

staff including Head of VU TAFE
Richard Carter, Special Adviser Dr
Jean Mclean and Timor-Leste First
Lady Kirsty Sword-Gusmo at the VU
Certificate IV Graduation Ceremony
at DIT, 2005.

Vice Chancellor Professor Peter Dawkins,

Michael Hamel-Green, Dean of Arts and
Neil Andrews, Chair of Academic Board,
congratulate founder of successful NGO
PERMATIL, Ego Lamos, on the
completion of his VU MA (International
Community Development) 2011.

VU Vice Chancellor Professor Peter

Dawkins and Special Advisor Dr Jean
Mclean meet with Secretary of State for
Employment and Training, Ildio Ximenes,
and Vice Minister for Basic Education,
Dulce de Jesus Soares, at the VU-UNTL
Future Directions for Food in Timor-Leste
conference, 2013.

25
 PART FOUR
2015 UNTL-VU CONFERENCE:

FINDING PATHWAYS IN
EDUCATION
CONTENTS
OVERVIEW OF CONFERENCE

SUMMARY OF CONFERENCE ISSUES & RECOMMENDATIONS

FROM THEMATIC STREAMS

26
OVERVIEW OF CONFERENCE

The fourth biennial UNTL-VU public affairs conference titled Finding Pathways in Education
was held in Dili on the 13th and 14th of July 2015. Premised on exchanging knowledge related
to the development of Timor-Lestes education sector, the conference featured a range of
Timorese and international researchers, government staff and industry professionals.

L-R: VU Vice Chancellor Professor Peter Dawkins, then-Vice Rector Edmundo Vegas Prime Minister Rui Araujo)

Notable attendees included Timor-Lestes Prime Minister Dr Rui Maria de Araujo, Vice-Rector
of the National University of Timor Lorosae, Dr Edmundo Vieigas, Dr Mario Carrascalo,
former Deputy Prime Minister and one-time Governor of Timor under the Indonesians, the
Vice Chancellor of Victoria University, Professor Peter Dawkins and the Head of Postgraduate
studies at UNTL Professor Francisco Martins (later appointed as UNTL Rector) and then-
Interim Minister for Education Dulce de Jesus Soares, Lita Sarmento of the Timor-Leste
National Commission for UNESCO and Professor David Hicks of State University of New
York, an anthropologist who has been researching Timor since the 1970s.

The conference had the following concurrent streams:

1. Agriculture and rural livelihoods

2. Health and Wellbeing
3. Law and Justice
4. Infrastructure and National Systems including IT and libraries
5. Education and Human Resource Development
6. Financial Inclusion and Economics

27
In addition, a series of cross-cutting issues were addressed on regulatory systems, improving
the quality of language teaching, improving IT and libraries for education and bringing together
theory and practice in higher education.

With several representatives from the Government of Timor-Leste and an audience comprised
predominantly of East Timorese university students and NGO representatives, the conference
provided a unique opportunity for the jerasaun foun (the young generation) to express their
views, visions and concerns to their political representatives and across the generational divide.
Key issues that yielded constructive debate and discussion included addressing Timor-Lestes
skills gap; improving the system for allocating students to courses at UNTL; how best to assist
students in making decisions about their courses of study; improving the success rate of
students in their courses; improving access to library and IT facilities; improving the quality of
language learning; and putting in place a system of lifelong education.

Conference objectives

For educators, students, administrators and others concerned with education and training
in Timor-Leste to engage with the contemporary educational dialogue, particularly around
access and equity issues, in keeping with the Timorese Constitution.
That the conference recommendations will inform the emerging policy discussion on
curriculum, teaching methods, information about educational opportunities and selection
processes for courses in Timor-Leste and formulation of policies for lifelong learning.

KEY CONFERENCE ADDRESSES

Prime Minister Dr. Rui de Araujo

The Prime Minister noted that education and training is important to families, communities and the
nation and emphasized that proper budgeting, balanced policy and quality outcomes in the sector
were key to achieving the development of Timor-Leste. The Prime Minister pointed to the
disconnect that can occur in applying school learning to day-to-day living and went on to underline
the importance of education in providing both broad knowledge and practical skills to prepare
students for the workforce and equip them to make strong contribution to national development.
The Prime Minister alerted the audience to the importance of understanding the difference between
knowing and doing. He also admitted that teaching methods used in the period following
independence (post 2002) had not been successful for the majority of children and as a result of
this he was looking for new ideas in education.

28
Interim Minister of Education H.E. Dulce de Jesus Soares

Ms Soares contributed on behalf of the Government by giving an overview of the new

curriculum for Basic Education (up to year 9) and its approach to teacher training. Recent
curriculum reform in Timor-Leste has embraced the theme of applied learning raised by the
Prime Minister in its prioritization of two key principles, that the curriculum must (1) be
connected to local culture and the Timorese way of life and (2) ensure the development of the
whole person. As a result, the language of instruction for initial literacy will be Tetum with
Portuguese being introduced at year 3. Another innovation will be the installation of school
gardens in every school and the teaching of horticulture following Permaculture principles by
trained school extensionists. VU alumnus Eugenio Lemos has written an Alphabet Song
which the Vice-Minister played at the conference. Follow the link to view the song on
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFZJ2pM-70M

Maire Sheehan

Maire Sheehan of the NSW TAFE and Friends of Maliana spoke about the mismatch between
education and training and the workforce happening around the world asa result of
Globalization and drew attention to the fact that many of the children in primary school today
will be working in jobs which have not yet been invented. She also highlighted some ways in
which appropriate knowledge and skills for future work can be identified in an era where people
will change their profession several times during their working life.

Dr. Louise Cook Tonkin

Louise Cook Tonkin, a former lecturer at the Police Academy, spoke on the National
Qualifications Framework, highlighting some areas she believed needed additional levels of
qualification to facilitate movement in both directions across the binary divide, in particular in
skills relating to teaching and learning.

Dr. Abel Pires da Silva

Dr da Silva, Head of the Information Technology Directorate at UNTL spoke about progress
already made at UNTL with signing an MOU with Google to get an email address for all
academics and students. He is also looking into the possibility of Timor-Leste getting its own
National Research and Education Network (NREN) for the Ministry of Education and
universities to use in research, teaching and learning, library and student information systems.
He is also endeavouring to install more computer laboratories on the various campuses. He
spoke also of the importance of IT units being taught in all faculties to train students in the
skills they will need, related to their field of study, when they enter the workforce. He has also

29
endeavoured to set up a national repository for on-line resources about Timor-Leste and
stressed the need for national level policies, led by the Ministry of Education.

Lita Sarmento

Lita Sarmento of the Timor-Leste National Commission for UNESCO emphasised the
importance of following international standards in relation to education and learning from the
experience of other countries. She also emphasised UNESCOs long-standing interest in adult
and life-long education.

SUMMARY OF CONFERENCE ISSUES AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM

THEMATIC STREAMS

1. Agriculture and rural livelihoods

Agriculture is the most significant form of production in Timor-Leste, yet farming has become
deskilled and there is no education or training to prepare young people who have land to make
their farm into a successful enterprise. University agriculture courses train people to be
agricultural scientists, agricultural high schools train people to be extension workers. It is
generally assumed that farmers are uneducated people who have dropped out of school with
the result that few young people wish to take up the challenge of farming, despite the fact that
good money could be made. Also not enough of the benefits of agriculture are going back to
improve the quality of life of people in the rural areas due to lack of value-adding to raw
materials and lack of a sufficiently high level of general education to enable farmers to make
better use of technology such as computers. This stream looked at how farming can again
become a skilled and respected profession, and interested school leavers find a valued pathway
into farming and other rural careers, including forestry, soil conservation, building design,
sustainable energy, fisheries and other maritime careers and how UNTL can become a valuable
resource centre for training farmers and other rural workers in a number of skills.

Recommendations from this stream

The conference recommends that more attention be paid to raising the educational level of
farmers, to make it again a skilled profession and raise its status. This could be done through
wider distribution of primary school equivalency and secondary school equivalency courses
taught through Educao Recurrente which could be taught in conjunction with INDMO
Certificates in various agricultural skills and a new Diploma 1 in Farming to be launched by
UNTL, possibly at Community Colleges. To create markets adequately throughout the country
and avoid farmers being exploited by middlemen they need to have access to computers and
prices and ways of transferring money into their accounts. They also need management

30
education to set up their own co-operatives as agriculture in most successful agricultural
counties has done.

UNTL could benefit from introducing a Diploma 1 in Farming directed at those with
land who wish to turn it in to a productive farm.
UNTL could benefit from introducing a Diploma 1 in Rural Womens Leadership to
be taught outside of Dili in collaboration with the co-operation of the Country
Womens Association of Australia and VU Alumna Deb Salvagno, founder of East
Timor Women Australia.

2. Education and Human Resource Development

Formal education faces a number of difficulties, in particular a shortage of educated and trained
teachers. Due to Timor-Lestes high birth rate new schools need to be opened every year.
Motivating committed people to become teachers and keeping them in the classroom is quite
difficult. Educational infrastructure was targeted in the destruction which followed the 1999
ballot and leadership and management skills are needed throughout the country to enable
students to have the access to the education promised in the Timorese Constitution. Students
need the support of educational institutions, the broader community, professional counsellors
and their families to identify pathways to their own careers.

Families need to better understand what schooling can and cannot do - the Prime Minister in
his address pointed out the disconnect that can occur in applying learning to day-to-day living.
Many families do not expect investing in education to lead to any improvement at village level
which is why some are reluctant to invest in it. Others expect their educated children to just
move away and send them money. Those who have missed out on schooling for any reason
(e.g. pregnancy, need to work in the family business), but who could succeed, need
opportunities to catch up with their education and develop skills which will contribute to
creating opportunities for younger generations.

At university level students often refer to the first three years of their course as theory and
rarely get out into the field to observe Timorese reality and the problems they are being trained
to address. A session was held on bringing together theory and practice in higher education
focussing on the need to teach skills in all university courses and illustrating how theory is
much better taught when alternated with practice. Articulation from certificate and diploma
courses to degree courses, learning in the workplace, recognition of prior learning, capstone
courses and other ideas tried in other countries could play a useful role to bring about a more
constructivist model of learning and addressing the problem which the Prime Minister spoke
about of making education readily applicable to solving many of Timor-Lestes problems. The

31
importance of being able to bring together traditional knowledge with scientific knowledge in
various situations was also discussed.

In a session on Regulatory models in post-secondary education, there was discussion on the

presentation by Louise Cook-Tonkin on the Timor Leste Qualifications framework focussing
on the following points:

That there is no Level 5 available under TVET, this means no Diploma courses that we
consider fundamental - i.e. No Diploma of Training and Assessment. The only way to
run these courses is under a higher education institution.
There is a need to focus on skills for leadership roles needed currently in Timor. Many
people are promoted to leadership positions without the functional skills for the
role. Level 5 in TVET focuses on management of large organisations: skills to hold
manage implementation of a number of different project areas at one time,
responsibility for planning and monitoring and project evaluation or quality assurance,
responsibility for human resource development - these organisational skills are a Level
5 outcome - yet Level 5 in the university is often more focussed on conceptual areas
than practical leadership skills. These skills are missing across all governance areas of
Timor-Leste - partly because the programs that teach them do not exist.
Level 5 or Diploma I leadership programs are the most needed areas in Timor-Leste
and should be developed as a priority to support leadership and governance capacity
development.
UNTL is open to developing some Diploma I courses directed at specific skills
development - this should be encouraged

In this session a presentation by Dr David Hicks of the State University of New York, inspired
great interest in the Conference in recommending to the Government of RDTL to look at a
system of Community Colleges, with campuses owned by the State but governed by an
autonomous Board representing relevant local interests (with at least one in every municipality
and other significant centres of population). These Colleges would house courses of varying
lengths, between basic schooling (year 9) and Bacherelato (Diploma 3) level offered by private
providers, NGOs or the state. These courses should address the main skill needs of the
municipality and include financial management, IT, librarianship, office administration, early
childhood education, health promotion, sustainable agriculture, and small animal production,
as well as high school equivalency classes administered by Educao Recurrente, they could
incorporate the courses currently taught by the vocational high schools and be open to students
of all ages. Successful students should be eligible for pathways into Bacherelato) and
Licenciatura at UNTL if they are likely to succeed in those courses.

32
 AAANA and INDMO should begin to develop a national register of quality assured
qualifications and accredited providers across the learning spectrum and indications of
the areas of work which graduates of those courses can expect to achieve. This
document should be published and made widely available, particularly to year 9 and
year 12 school leavers to assist with career planning. It should also be made available
in libraries and information centres so career changers and adults wishing to return to
study can have some basis on which to make decisions
Consideration should be given to a Vocational Education research centre or
Collaborative Research Project at UNTL to provide support to and links with the
Vocational training sub-sector. Pathways are needed in both directions across the two
halves of the binary system.

3. Health and wellbeing

Timor-Leste has need for large numbers of professionals in the Health field, including Primary
Health Care Volunteers in the Sukus and Aldeias, rural midwives, nurses of different levels,
eye care, pharmacy assistant and pharmacist, dental assistant, and dentist, Physicians, Surgeons,
ambulance workers (paramedics), nutritionists, mental health workers, hospital workers of all
types (including cleaners, orderlies, managers, directors). Prospective students do not often get
a good idea of what these fields entail and often chose a speciality on the basis of failing to get
into another one. Some specializations such as nutrition are not taught in Timor-Leste at all.
Health is an excellent field for pathways and some highly skilled practitioners have come from
basic courses through pathways to a high level of skill.

The Community Development Department at UNTL has recently initiated a Diploma 1 course
in Community Based Rehabilitation for People with disabilities, this could be the first of many
needed courses in the Community Services fields, an area with which Victoria University has
considerable experience.

Recommendations from this stream

UNTL should consider starting a Diploma 1 courses in Youth Work and Womens
Rural Leadership in the Community Development department in collaboration with
major international NGOs already working in the field.
First Aid and preventive health courses including reproductive health should be
available at appropriate levels throughout the education system.

3. Infrastructure and National Systems

33
The ability of many people to improve their economic situation is limited by absence of good
infrastructure systems. This includes not only hardware e.g. roads but software i.e. systems
and people for maintaining them. Electricity, telephone, roads, water, post office and
information communications technology (ICT) systems have become the subject of national
debate, yet not much of this has led to the improvement of the systems. The Governments
PNDS program has focussed attention on the hardware of infrastructure but more attention
needs to be paid to the software or knowledge and education systems needed to keep it going.
In education the main infrastructure needed is libraries and IT systems. The government has
an ambitious plan for e-governance yet scarcely any courses are available at university to
provide the skills necessary for e-literacy and professional and technical training. Library
development is lagging very badly behind the expectations of students at both school and
university level.

Recommendations from this stream

New thinking on infrastructure is required which incorporates the knowledge

component of all infrastructure and people trained adequately to monitor, maintain and
repair all infrastructure installed as a result of government programs.
The electricity distribution system needs to be improved to support the growth of ICTs
in the regional areas, and the Government of Timor-Leste should investigate options to
improve internet bandwidth throughout the country in order for citizens to have access
to facilities such as Automatic Teller Machines and internet banking.
Schools and other educational institutions outside the electricity grid need their own
capacity to generate electricity through solar, wind or biofuel methods. Timor-Leste
could develop its own version of Indias Barefoot College, in an appropriate location.
The secondary school computer literacy program needs to be supported in schools
throughout Timor-Leste with computers in high schools and teachers, and specialized
teachers and technicians must be trained in their use and maintenance.
The Government of Timor-Leste should investigate options to improve Internet
bandwidth throughout the country, particularly for educational institutions, including
the establishment of a National Research and Education Network (NREN) (fibre optic
cable under the ground) linking educational institutions independent of the commercial
providers along the lines of Australias Australian Academic and Research Network
(AARNET) which has offered to help Timor-Leste get itself such a system with
assistance from the European Union. Australias NBN (National Broadband Network)
is another model which could be looked at for the infrastructure of general internet and
telephony.

34
 The Government should pay attention to the recommendations of the World Summit
on the Information Economy aimed at avoiding the perils of the Digital Divide.
Timor-Leste needs an adequate system for delivery of books around the country to
schools, libraries and private users, an example to look at is Fiji which has turned its
major Post Offices into bookshops selling all school textbooks, newspapers and general
reading material. This would include transport between the Post Offices, which could
could be partly contracted out to bus services. A good Post Office is also necessary to
enable Timorese residents to order books and materials on-line from international
booksellers.
Greater use should be made of by educational institutions of radio, a cheap and easy to
use means of communications which in many countries provides a valuable learning
and information service to farmers.
Resource and information centres should be established in every municipality in
Timor-Leste. The centres should have a range of books as well as computer resources
and a library. These centres will offer free computer literacy courses and enable free
access to information such as eGovernance, online education, research and national
issues, and to communicate with people in other countries.
An ISSN and ISBN System should be inaugurated immediately to avoid books and
journals published in Timor-Leste having to be registered in other countries

4. Law and justice

The legal system in Timor-Leste, including the law enforcement system requires a wide range
of professionals, not only lawyers, Clerks of Courts, Legal Administrators, Secretaries,
Translators and Interpreters, Police and Prison Staff. Sometimes the best way of recruiting
students to study law is from these other professions who already have a good knowledge of
the system. The conference heard some stories of lawyers and law students who had interesting
and varied pathways into the law. UNTL Faculty of Law has some particularly good experience
with preparatory courses and the way they have enabled mature age students to enter the legal
profession from a number of different backgrounds.

The Law and Justice stream also addressed the issue of how the injustices of the Indonesian
occupation are understood and taught in the wider educational system such as through the study
of Chega! The Report of the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR)
which has a mandate to produce educational material.

35
Recommendations from this stream

The CAVR Chega! report and the CTF Per Memoriam Ad Spem report could be
incorporated and utilised in all relevant tertiary courses in Timor-Leste such as law,
international relations, political science, community development, social
communications, theology, history, and human rights.
The Timor-Leste Parliament and Government of Timor-Leste could benefit from
marking the 10th anniversary of the CAVR Chega! report by establishing a CAVR
follow-up institution in 2015.

It is important to encourage diversity in the legal profession. To achieve this, it is

suggested that any person holding a bachelors degree in any field of study should be
allowed to take the exam to enter the Centro Formao Juridica.
The parliament of Timor-Leste could benefit from considering the inclusion of
copyright law across universities and from initiating a process on this complex issue
by inviting the legal community to make submissions on the subject, then formulating
a draft copyright law for public discussion prior to debate and adoption by the
Parliament.

5. Financial Inclusion and Economics

People living mainly in the subsistence sector in any country often have difficulty in
understanding the value of money, how it operates, and how to make the best use of it in
investment. Financial Inclusion programs can teach people a great deal about saving, managing
and investing their money for improved livelihoods and enable them to have access to
affordable savings accounts, credit facilities and financial advice, yet there is a shortage of
trained people to run these programs.

Many young people who have learnt entrepreneurship skills through informal education and
work in the informal economy could do well in a formal sector business with accessible
training. Can they take a course certificate or diploma course to include language skills,
bookkeeping, accountancy, strategic planning, and management? Economics courses need to
include study of the type of economy found in Timor-Leste and economic history needs to be
taught to explain how the Timorese economy comes to be as it is. Economic and financial
counselling needs to be taught to produce professionals who can assist those in economic
difficulty.

Shortly after the conference the Banco Centre Timor-Leste (BCTL) launched its Financial
Education Strategy Plan for Financial Literacy which envisages a major role for educational

36
institutions, both in the preparation of staff to work in the banking institutions of Timor-Leste
and also for training young people in schools and through non-formal education to be
involved in spreading knowledge in the community about how to open bank accounts, the
meaning of interest rates, saving and loans. UNTL Economics Faculty could be playing a
more active role in this, as could other educational institutions, credit unions and finance
sector employers. In the past the UNTL-VU conferences have also had the participation of
CUFA, the Credit Union Foundation of Australia and some of its Timorese partner credit
unions. The Financial Inclusion special interest group at the Conferences recommended more
effort to be put into brining together these institutions with lecturers at UNTL and VU.

37
 PART FIVE
LESSONS FOR EDUCATION IN
TIMOR-LESTE
CONTENTS
OVERVIEW OF LESSONS

TOPICS 1-5

38
OVERVIEW OF LESSONS

This section includes a number of lessons for Timor-Lestes education system as a whole. The
information under each topic has been composed by drawing on key debates and
recommendations that emerged at the VU-UNTL Finding Pathways in Education conference
held in Dili, July 2015, including some drawn from Prime Minister Dr Rui Maria de Arajos
address.

TOPIC ONE: EDUCATION FOR WHAT?

Back in 2001 when Xanana Gusmo was conducting a countrywide survey on what should be
included in the first development plan, the top issue that people wanted the government to focus
on was education. However, after nearly five hundred years of Portuguese presence and 24
years of Indonesian military occupation it became very clear that different people had different
ideas about what they expected out of education, in particular the formal schooling system.
Both the colonial powers had used the schooling system for their own purposes. The CNRT
(Conselho Nacional de Resistencia Timorense the resistance coalition), at its conference in
Melbourne in April 1999, hosted with assistance from Victoria University, came up with a good
statement on education in an independent Timor-Leste.

According to the 1999 conference report:

Education is a key sector in the transformation of the East Timorese society and
economy. The schooling system and non-formal educational opportunities must be
responsible and flexible to meet the needs of other departments and projects and promote
equity and participation.17

The plan called for transformation of the teaching-learning process and educational liberation
with a focus on skills needed for development as well as the promotion of Timorese identity
and valuable traditions. Goals of the strategic plan included:

Full exploration of East Timors human resources in all sectors of national interest;
Emphasizing quality in the teaching-learning process;
Co-ordination of foreign resources;
Promotion of the history of East Timor;
Developing national identity based on Timorese cultural identity and universal human
values;
Fostering of independent and critical thinking and a spirit of free and scientific inquiry.

39
Unfortunately, the Indonesia-supported militia violence following the ballot meant these high-
minded objectives were never considered, survival became the main objective and when the
Peace-Keeping Force arrived in October 1999 survival became the main objective. With an
emphasis on creating a sense of continuity and so-called normality for children, the former
Indonesian textbooks were reprinted with a short message from Xanana Gusmo
recommending their use and in some schools the old Indonesian curriculum was to continue
long after the emergency period was over, outliving its use in many parts of post-reformasi. At
the same time Portuguese was introduced year by year in primary schools, but often not
successfully as it was not being taught as a second language and children were not being given
an opportunity to learn to read and write in their own language before learning it.

While there have been several curriculum revisions done by Portuguese universities for the
years 1-9 it appears that the most recent one, done by the Ministry of Education itself with
hand-picked consultants (both Timorese and international), seems to be addressing the
objectives set out in the original 1999 strategic plan. The Finding Pathways in Education
conference had the benefit of hearing from Vice-Minister I for Education, Dulce de Jesus
Soares, with responsibility for this area. The new curriculum will be transformative in that it
brings for the first time into formal education food growing and food preparation, local culture
and music, topics not previously regarded as of relevance to formal education, and links them
with science, mathematics, language studies and literacy in a way not done before.

Under the colonial powers Timorese people were always ambivalent as to whether education
was for the improvement of life in the village, bringing skills, new knowledge and techniques
into the local area or whether it was just to help a few bright students get out of the village, get
good jobs elsewhere and send back their money. Of course a good system should be able to do
some of both, but many people believe that it need not bother with improving life and health
locally, because all educated people will want to leave the village. The Prime Minister Dr Rui
Araujo, made reference to this dilemma in his speech at the Finding Pathways conference,
when he pointed out the disconnect that can occur in applying learning to day-to-day living.

Had Timor-Leste come to independence when it first declared its sovereignty in 1975, it would
have entered a very different world of planning for development, where countries typically
wrote manpower plans and calculated how many people with each set of occupational skills
they needed, such as how many doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers, engineers, etc. they needed.
While many countries did it in a less than satisfactory way, Ministries of Education were more
focussed on discussing with the community what should be taught in the schooling systems. A
more up-to-date approach is that used by Leon Tikly and his colleagues from the University of
Bristol, in a DFID-funded study on skills for development in Rwanda in 2001. They devised a

40
typology of the skills needed in a predominantly agrarian post-conflict society attempting to
diversify its economic base, and democratise its political structure. Through careful interviews
and observation, they evolved the following typology of needed skills. This model was shown
by Louise Cook-Tonkin in her keynote address at the 2015 conference.

Typology of Skill needed for Rwanda18

Basic Skills
Functional literacy and numeracy, basic health knowledge and skills (including hygiene and
HIV/AIDS prevention), child rearing skills, domestic skills, simple psychomotor skills, basic
education.
Generic and Transferable Skills
Problem solving, reasoning, creative thinking, analysis of information, attitudes (such as a respect for
time and a spirit of inquisitiveness) communication and language skills, (particularly bi and tri-
lingualism), basic computer skills, social skills of interaction with others.
Private Sector/Business Skills
Entrepreneurial skills (and attitudes), management, marketing and trading, packaging, dealing with
banks, book-keeping and accountancy, micro-enterprise management.
Public Sector Skills
Policy-making skills, project design and management, including specific technical skills such as
planning and management uses of ICTs, health sector skills
Vocational Skills
Building and construction, electrical installation and maintenance, electronic equipment repair,
handicrafts and pottery, baking, car mechanics, painting, tailoring, carpentry, ICT skills for secretarial
work.
Agricultural Skills
Improved agricultural techniques and technologies, improving soil fertility, food preservation and
storage, weaving and making products from hides and skins, diversification of crops.
High Skills
Science and technology skills, advanced technical skills (computing, laboratory technicians, etc.),
engineering, research, agronomy, botany and biochemistry, teaching and education.
Service Sector Skills
Accountancy, the servicing of contracts, banking, tourism-related skills, hotel management, skills for
guides, cooks, waiters etc.
Political and Citizenship Skills
Moral and values education, Rwandan culture and history, participatory citizenship education,
political awareness and political thinking, attitudes to authority, human rights, unity and
reconciliation.

While a typology such as this will come out slightly differently for each country, this one has
great similarities with what would be required for Timor-Leste, with the possible addition of

41
skills needed for the Timor Sea oil and gas industries. The first two, Basic Skills and Generic
Skills and the final group, Political and Citizenship skills are really needed by everybody and
should be available through basic education or through adult education for those who missed
out. The other, more specialised skills can be gained in a variety of modes of delivery, formal,
non-formal or informal education, through government, NGO or private sector providers and
at various ages and stages in ones career and probably need both classroom and on-the-job
components. However the key thing will be for prospective students to know about the
availability of such courses.
At present there is an assumption that formal education is a pre-requisite for work and that
knowledge and skills gained in school and university will be directly transferable to the
workplace, meaning that formal qualifications play a large role in determining personnel
selection. In reality the set of skills described above as Generic and Transferable Skills are
almost never taught in schools and universities although they are the skills most employers are
looking for. This means that many young people are undertaking courses unlikely to lead to
work opportunities beyond completion of the course.

On the other hand, students streamed out of the academic high schools into the vocational
high schools find they are lacking in sufficient general education, mathematics,
communications and financial skills to make a living from the vocational skills they are
learning. This is why finding pathways from one side of the binary divide to the other is often
important if one is to engage successfully in the economy in the world of work.

At present there are no post school vocational guidance interviews given to students who leave
school either at year 9 or year 12 to assist them to select courses that lead to particular careers
aligned with their aptitude and the needs of the country. There is also no careers advice
services are available to students at universities, students wishing to pursue vocational courses
may be given advice through SEPFOPE but they must first register as unemployed. Minimal
collaborative partnerships exist between education providers and prospective employers,
particularly with university education; the underdeveloped nature of Professional Associations
makes this even more difficult.

TOPIC TWO: TEACHER CAPABILITY

There is a significant challenge surrounding the capability of teachers in primary and high
schools. In reality, teachers need both education in their field or subjects they will be teaching
and training as to how to teach it effectively. In later years of the Indonesian occupation a
decree was passed enabling university students who had completed two years of a four-year
degree could teach in senior high schools. This was often in the science fields so graduates in

42
Agriculture (or those who had not completed) could teach biology and subjects with which they
were familiar. However there was no requirement that they have teacher training which
ultimately disadvantaged the students. Many of these teachers are still teaching without having
gained teaching qualifications.

At the Finding Pathways in Education conference, the Prime Minster made a comment about
the high level of absenteeism among teachers in both rural and urban areas. This is, in part, a
function of the lack of authority of school principals, both due to the way they are selected and
their lack of training and mentoring on the job. Other contributing factors are that teachers
often have other jobs as well, and in rural areas might have farms or coffee plantations, which
require their attention. Furthermore the profession of teacher is not as well respected as it
should be, given that it is a job requiring considerable skill and commitment. There is also a
problem that almost any teacher who goes overseas for further study, when they return they are
removed from the classroom to an office job, meaning that the schools do not have the most
qualified people teaching in them. VU Alumnus Teo Ximenes is currently working with Vice
Minister 1 for Education on the issue of training for school principals.

TOPIC THREE: LANGUAGES IN EDUCATION

Portuguese and Tetum are recognized in the Constitution as official languages and English
and Indonesian as working languages. There are also thirteen local dialects spoken across the
country whose importance is recognised in the Constitution despite them not being named.

A significant percentage of people speak the Indonesian language as a result of the 24 year
Indonesian occupation, during which time education was spread widely, however it is not now
taught in the schools and it is rare to find school leavers with sufficient Indonesian writing skills
to apply to universities in Indonesia. Those educated during the Portuguese era, and a growing
number of the younger generation educated since independence, are educated in Portuguese but
due to the way it was taught they often do not have a high level of written expression and also
have difficulty applying to universities in Portuguese speaking countries.

The new Primary school curriculum uses Tetum as a medium of instruction in the first four
years, including early literacy. Some oral Portuguese is introduced in the early years with
written Portuguese being introduced in year 4 (a pilot project is taking place in three
Municipalities where Tetum is not widely spoken, using local languages for early literacy
before the introduction of Tetum and Portuguese). The intention is that by year six, students are
equally fluent in Tetum and Portuguese and in Year 7 English is introduced as a subject and
Portuguese becomes the language of instruction.

43
A significant challenge is the fact that teachers in high schools are often not competent speakers
of Portuguese and many students have been learning the language, and a great deal of the high
school content, by rote, rather than fully understanding it, and have passed university entrance
exams on this basis. As university lecturers often are not highly competent in Portuguese,
universities frequently rely on a combination of educational materials and resources that use
the Indonesian, Portuguese, Tetum and even English languages, varying considerably by
faculty and institution.

TOPIC FOUR: MOTIVATIONS, ASPIRATIONS, DIRECTIONS AND

OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE YOUNG GENERATION

Since independence in 2002 the nations population has grown exponentially as demonstrated
by an average growth rate of 2.5%. Of the population (1.2 million), over 30% are under 15.

As the young generation learn about the struggle for independence and the challenges that lay
ahead, they share a common ambition to build Timor-Leste as a strong and independent nation.
However, they lack anything as exciting or motivating to get involved with as their elder
brothers and sisters and parents had with the struggle for self-determination and the
clandestino. University courses could include fieldwork subjects (as does the Community
Development course) where students are taken with lecturers to visit rural communities, where
they learn to make observations, engage in participatory research and learn about the nature of
the problems that they are being trained to address, e.g. economics students could find out what
local people understand of money, medical students on health, law students could visit prisons
and interview police about law enforcement. They could also study the history of the resistance
in their own locality by interviewing those who were part of it. They could then realise how
important it is during their course to learn to think, make decisions for themselves and how to
make good judgements. This could also allow Timorese to realise the need to learn skills,
which might involve doing another course, or they might also volunteer to teach languages or
adult literacy, which would give them valuable skills.

TOPIC FIVE: EDUCATION AND RURAL URBAN MIGRATION

A significant challenge is providing quality education for communities in regional areas where
most (approx. 70%) of the population live. As Prime Minister Arajo pointed to at the
conference, school enrolment figures in regional areas are around 60%, whereas urban areas
are nearly 100%; absenteeism figures are 30% for students and 25% for teachers in regional
areas compared to 10% to 15% in urban areas.

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For various historic reasons, most post-secondary education is centred in Dili or Baucau. There
is a tendency for young people to move to Dili to go to high school, even though public high
schools in some other municipalities are superior to those in Dili. This means that education
has the net effect of encouraging rural-urban migration. It also means that local social and
industry needs are not being met in regional and remote areas. For example, if a coastal
community were to develop a local fisheries industry, they would likely be confronted with a
lack of training facilities.

The concept of Community Colleges in municipal capitals and even in some larger
administrative posts was discussed at the Finding Pathways in Education conference. Vice-
Minister Dulce de Jesus Soares held further discussions with Professor David Hicks of the State
University of New York who had suggested it. These would enable courses to be offered in
skills needed in a location that was clearly visible and respected by the community, hopefully
with good library facilities, which would encourage inquiries. Local expertise could teach in
the courses and with a local board and locally appointed Principal decisions could be made
which would assist the local economy without students having to travel too far away.

Endnotes

11
UN Women, (2005). Fact Sheet Timor-Leste. Accessed on 31.10.2015. Available online
at: http://www.unwomeneasia.org/docs/factsheets/05%20TIMOR_LESTE%20factsheet.pdf

2
Australian Department of Defense, (2012). East Timor peacekeeping mission to conclude.
Accessed on 31.10.10. Available online at: http://www.army.gov.au/Our-work/News-and-
media/News-and-media-2012/News-and-media-December-2012/East-Timor-peacekeeping-
mission-to-conclude

3
UN, (2001). UN Peacekeeping Missions United Nations Transitional Administration in
East Timor. Accessed on: 31/10/2015. Available online at:
http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/past/etimor/etimor.htm

4
UN, (2014). Timor-Leste Data. Accessed on 31.10.2015. Available online at:
http://data.un.org/CountryProfile.aspx?crName=timor-leste

5
Timor-Leste General Directorate of Statistics, (2010). 2010 Census Summary. Accessed on
31.12.2015. Available online at: http://www.statistics.gov.tl/category/publications/census-
publications/

45
6
Ministerius Finansa RDTL, (2013). Population and Housing Census 2015: Preliminary
Results. Accessed on: 31.10.2015. Available online at: http://www.statistics.gov.tl/wp-
content/uploads/2015/10/1-Preliminary-Results-4-Printing-Company-19102015.pdf

7
Ministerius Finansa RDTL, (2013).

8
Nicolai, S., (1999). Learning independence education in emergency and transition in
Timor-Leste since 1999. International Institute for Educational Planning. Paris, France.

9
Nicolai, S., (1999).

10
Nicolai, S., (1999).

11
Freitas, J. C., (2009). Conference paper: Timor-Lestes Binary System. Transforming
Timor-Leste for Human Rights, Sustainable Development and Peace Conference, Dili.
12
Lao Hamutuk. 2016 General State Budget. Accessed on 12.12.2015. Available online at:
http://www.laohamutuk.org/econ/OGE16/15OGE16.htm

13
Lundahlm, M. & Sjholm, F., (2009). Population growth and job creation in Timor-Leste.
Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, vol. 1, pg90-104.

14
The World Bank, (2015). Timor-Leste: Overview. Accessed on 31.10.2015. Available
online at: http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/timor-leste/overview

15
Republica Democratica de Timor-Leste, (2011). Timor-Leste Strategic Development Plan
2011-2030. Available online at:
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/1506Timor-Leste-Strategic-Plan-
2011-20301.pdf

16
Timor-Leste Ministry of Education, (2011). National Strategic Education Plan. Accessed
on 10.01.2016. Available online at: https://www.moe.gov.tl/pdf/NESP2011-2030.pdf

17
Freitas, J. C., (2009). Conference Paper: Timor-Lestes Binary System. Transforming
Timor-Leste for Human Rights, Sustainable Development and Peace Conference.

18
Tikly L., Lowe, J., Crossley, M., Dachi, H., Garrett, R. & Mukabaranga, B., (2003).
Globalisation and Skills for Development in Rwanda and Tanzania. DFID, UK.

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