Government Appreciating and Investing in Teachers
Minister of State and of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and
Official Spokesperson for the Government of Timor-Leste
Dili, October 17th, 2016
Government Appreciating and Investing in Teachers
The Government has celebrated World Teachers Day during a special two-day seminar for teachers conducted at the Dili Convention Centre. On the 12th of October Prime Minister H.E. Dr. Rui Maria de Araújo, congratulated teachers for “their daily work, effort and dedication” and emphasized their key role in “shaping their student’s personalities” and conveying “moral and critical principles that prepare them to exercise their citizenship, based on a democratic State under the rule of law such as ours.”
UNESCO proclaimed the 5th of October as World Teachers Day in 1994, a day to celebrate the work of teachers and acknowledge the important contribution they make to the community. Besides the two-day seminar in Dili other celebratory activities are scheduled throughout the month of October, which the Prime Minister noted was a month dedicated to education.
The Sixth Constitutional Government, recognising the value of education and teachers, has overseen significant investment into teacher training, improvement of school conditions and the implementation of a landmark new school curriculum.
Within the first year of the government, the new school curriculum for preschool and the 1st and 2nd Cycles of Basic Education was implemented with training courses in the new curriculum delivered to 9,000 teachers. In the same period over 300 schools were rehabilitated. In line with the Strategic Plan of the Ministry of Education the Secondary Technical –Vocational Education has undergone a steady expansion to strengthen the link between education and employment opportunities.
The Prime Minister assured the teachers at the seminar that the sector of Education was a government priority and encouraged them all to “continue imparting your scientific knowledge and to be role models of the highest principles of humanity and democracy.” He expressed confidence that teachers “will take great pride in helping to educate our students and to shape their personality.”
Government Spokesperson, Minister of State Agio Pereira noted “the number and quality of our teachers has grown dramatically since 2002. During this month of October, which includes World Teachers Day, we salute their professionalism and dedication, recognizing the importance of their role in shaping the future of our nation.” ENDS
