Issues In Timor-Leste Education
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Transcript of Issues In Timor-Leste Education
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”