Pathways to change: improving the quality of education in Timor-leste

Pathways to change: Improving the quality of Education in Timor-Leste

Evaluating the impact of restructuring secondary education in East Timor – a study in the context of international cooperation

presented by margarida lucasResearch Centre Didactics and Technology in Education of Trainers

University of Aveiro, Portugal

Timor-Leste


• colonized by the Portuguese from the 1500s to 1975

• occupied by the Indonesian from 1975 to 1999

• ruled by UN forces from 1999 to 2002


1999• violence erupted after the Timorese voted for independence from Indonesia (referendum):

destruction and devastation of homes, livelihoods and infrastructure;

displacement of massive numbers of students and teachers.

2002• fully independent on May 20, 2002:

considerable amounts of money have been donated to reconstruct the state and the nation;

schools have been built and improved, curricula have been restructured;

Tetum and Portuguese have been constitutionally legislated as the two national languages;


Timorese Ministry of Education + 2 Portuguese funding agencies

Implementing partner - University of Aveiro

• responsible for designing and developing all didactic resources related to the new curriculum

• responsible for providing teacher training for the new curriculum

restructuring the General Secondary Education in Timor-Leste

• assist in developing a system of quality secondary education through curriculum development and reform

• support and strengthen Portuguese as the instruction language

the new General Secondary Education in Timor-Leste


implementation challenges


• several policy makers were interviewed between May and June 2014

director (D) of the National Directorate of School Curriculum and Assessment

former Director (fD) of the National Directorate of School Curriculum and Assessment

advisor of the current Director (aD)

former Ministry of Education (fM)


implementation challenges


• linguistic flaws in the use of Portuguese language

• limitations in the scientific and pedagogical training of teachers and future teachers

• lack of organization as well as of pedagogical and administrative management capacity in most

secondary schools.

linguistic flaws in the use of Portuguese language


• natural consequence of 24 years of Indonesian occupation during which Portuguese was forbidden

and banned from schools (aD);

• the decision to adopt Portuguese as the instruction language is considered to be the appropriate:

one of the country’s official language;

Tetum lacks a solid structure and does not comprehend enough technical and scientific

vocabulary to support a new curriculum (D);

• Tetum is used to complement communication and transmission of contents during classes (fD);

• training in Portuguese language must be a priority (D, fM)

limitations in the scientific and pedagogical training of teachers and future teachers


• a considerable number of permanent teachers were not adequately trained to teach;

• rote learning is used extensively;

• new subjects pose serious challenges:

particularly evident regarding Geology, Technologies and Multimedia or Literature and

Culture;

the need to align courses/training provided at universities (aD);

• scientific and pedagogical must be a priority (aD, fM);

• schools and training facilities lack basic equipment (D).

lack of organization, pedagogical and administrative management capacity in most secondary schools


• school directors were appointed by the MoE regardless their initial training (when any existed) or

profile;

• decrees regarding secondary schools organization and administration have not been implemented

(D, aD, fM);

subjects are not organized by departments (D);

a Biology teacher may end teaching Literature and Culture (aD);

high absence of teachers, which is not controlled (fD);

schools do not have other staff other than teachers (D).

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• Evaluating the impact of restructuring secondary education in East Timor – a study in the context of international cooperation

Pathways to change: improving the quality of education in Timor-leste

Education

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