The Secretary of State for General Secondary Education and Technical-Vocational Secondary Education, Domingos Lopes Lemos, paid a working visit to Sejong, the Republic of Korea, on September 8th and 9th, 2026, focused on cooperation in the education sector and the exchange of experiences on technical-vocational education policies and their alignment with labour market needs.
The delegation, comprising officials from the Ministry of Education and the Becora GTI-ESTV Technical-Vocational Secondary School, met with representatives from the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training (KRIVET), and visited a Meister High School—a technical secondary school model focused on preparing students for fields aligned with industry needs.
On September 8th, the Secretary of State met with the Director-General of the International Education Planning Bureau, Lee Nan Young, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea. The meeting focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation in education, with particular emphasis on general secondary and technical-vocational secondary education.
The national delegation presented proposals for ongoing cooperation, including the establishment of an Artificial Intelligence and Digital Education Centre at the Becora technical school complex and the introduction of Korean language instruction in general and technical-vocational secondary schools.
During the meeting, Domingos Lopes Lemos noted that Timor-Leste has 33 public technical secondary schools, attended by more than 9,000 students across 19 fields of study, including information technology, mechanics, agriculture, tourism, and construction.
“Timor-Leste openly acknowledges its challenges. Our schools require modern equipment, and our teachers need to continue developing their professional skills. Korea’s experience serves as a strong reference for us, as Korea transformed the country through education in a single generation, aligned vocational training with industry, and continues to prepare its youth for the era of technology and artificial intelligence,” he stated.
Director-General Lee Nan Young expressed willingness to continue dialogue with the Ministry of Education of Timor-Leste on programmes for students in general secondary and technical-vocational secondary education.
Also on September 8th, the delegation visited a Meister High School in Sejong, where they observed the facilities, technical equipment, and teaching and learning methods. The Meister High School model is based, among other elements, on curricula tailored to industry demand and on cooperation between schools and companies.
The following day, September 9th, Domingos Lopes Lemos met with the President of KRIVET, Hye Won Ko, at the institute’s facilities in Sejong. The meeting focused on the Republic of Korea’s vocational education policies and on the relationship between the development of professional skills and the evolution of the industrial sector.
“This topic is of great importance to us. We all know that the success of the Republic of Korea’s economic development is closely linked to the strategic design of vocational education policies to meet the needs of the industrial sector. Korea’s experience in aligning workforce skills with the dynamics of the modern industrial sector serves as a clear example that we intend to study and understand in depth,” stated the Secretary of State.
The session enabled the delegation to learn about experiences in formulating technical-vocational education policies, developing curricula aligned with industry needs, fostering cooperation between training institutions and the private sector, and utilising new technologies in education.
“This information will serve as an important reference for our efforts to build a resilient secondary and vocational education ecosystem in Timor-Leste,” Domingos Lopes Lemos added.
The working visit enabled the continuation of dialogue between Timor-Leste and the Republic of Korea on the development of technical-vocational secondary education, professional skills training, and the preparation of young people for the labour market.