Minister of Education makes working visit to Japan to strengthen educational cooperation
From May 10th to 14th, 2026, the Minister of Education, Dulce de Jesus Soares, paid an official working visit to Hiroshima, Japan, to observe the Japanese primary and secondary school (Years 1-9) system, exchange experiences on educational policies, deepen her understanding of educational leadership, and strengthen cooperation between Timor-Leste and Japan in the education sector. 
During the visit, the Minister and the national delegation held a series of institutional meetings and visited schools and Hiroshima University, accompanied by representatives from the Centre for International Cooperation in Education (CICE) at Hiroshima University and by the Ambassador of Timor-Leste to Tokyo, Maria Terezinha da Silva Viegas.
On May 10th, the delegation visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, where they paid tribute to the victims of the 1945 tragedy and learned about the site’s history and the peace messages associated with it.
Over the following days, the Minister visited several primary and secondary schools, including Ryuuou Elementary School, Saijo Agricultural High School, and Kidani Elementary School in Higashihiroshima.
During the visits, the delegation observed teaching methods, school management systems, and educational activities with students from Primary and Secondary Schools (Years 1-9). Particular attention was paid to student discipline, autonomy, and sense of responsibility, as well as daily practices such as students cleaning the schools themselves, school lunch programmes, and the use of digital technology in classrooms.
At the Saijo Agricultural Senior Secondary (Years 10–12) School, the delegation observed practical agricultural and technical training, including tractor use, greenhouse cultivation, soil preparation, and the maintenance of agricultural machinery. The Minister highlighted the value of the school’s integrated model, which combines agricultural training, engineering, and technical sciences, noting that this approach could contribute to the development of technical and vocational education in Timor-Leste.
The delegation also attended sessions on “Lesson Study,” a Japanese model for collaborative professional development among teachers, organised by Hiroshima University. The presentations focused on adapting this methodology to the Timorese educational context through ongoing processes of planning, observation, and joint reflection among teachers.
The Minister also delivered a presentation at Hiroshima University to students in master's and doctoral programmes on “The Current State and Future Vision of Education in Timor-Leste.” In her remarks, she outlined the Government’s priorities in the education sector, including curriculum development, teacher quality improvement, school management, and multilingual education programmes.
During the presentation, the reforms introduced to the teacher recruitment system since 2023 were also explained, including the introduction of merit-based competitive exams and computer-based tests, as well as the establishment of staffing profiles for each school.
During the visit, the Minister also met with Hironori Takagaki, Vice Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture, and Hiroyuki Kawamoto, Deputy Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Hiroshima, to whom she expressed her gratitude for Japan’s continued support for Timor-Leste’s education sector, particularly through JICA.
