Prime Minister meets with Ministry of Education and Rectors of the Universities
The Prime Minister, Rui Maria de Araújo, held a meeting with the Ministry of Education and the Rectors of the Universities of Timor-Leste, on November 17th, 2016, at the Ministry of Education, in Vila Verde, Dili.
Timor-Leste has several schools of higher education, including a public university, a Polytechnic Institute created by the Government, Private Universities and ten institutes that have already accreditationn. According to the perspective of the Government, regular meetings must happen with the Rectors, to assess the development of Higher Education in Timor-Leste and what challenges they face, both in the public and private sectors.
The Head of Government underlined that this meeting is the first ever done with the Rectors and the Ministry of Education, and noted several concerns. The first question raised by the Rector of UNPAZ, was the realization of a forum for the Rectors and the Ministry of Education to meet regularly, every six months, which was accepted by the Prime Minister. The second resolution was to consider November 17th as a National Day of Higher Education.
The Rectors who took part in this meeting and had, therefore, the opportunity to present their concerns, now hope that this meeting can be continued.
The Minister of State, Coordinator of the Social Affairs and Minister of Education, António da Conceição, the First Vice Minister of Education, Dulce de Jesus Soares, the Second Vice Minister of Education, Abel da Costa Ximenes, the Rectors of the Universities of Timor-Leste, the Executive Director of the National Agency for Academic Assessment and Accreditation (ANAAA) and the Directors and Heads of Department of the Ministry of Education attended the meeting.