The Government hires 588 teachers, exceeding 3,100 new teacher appointments since the beginning of the term
On December 29th, 2025, the Government, through the Minister of Education, Dulce de Jesus Soares, and the Secretary of State for General Secondary Education and Vocational Secondary Education, Domingos Lopes Lemos, accompanied by the Vice Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Affairs, Mariano Assanami Sabino, held a ceremony in Dili to accept and appoint 588 teachers of General Secondary Education and Vocational Secondary Education, recruited from the third-phase candidate pool and placed in schools throughout the national territory. The ceremony was also attended by the President of the Civil Service Commission (CFP), Agostinho Letêncio de Deus, and the Commissioner responsible for the Special Careers Development portfolio at the Civil Service Commission, Anita Tavares Ribeiro de Jesus. 
The Minister of Education emphasised that the appointment of the 588 teachers is part of a broader effort to strengthen the national education system over the past two years. According to the minister, since the beginning of the 9th Constitutional Government's term, more than 3,100 teachers have been appointed, including those in preschool, primary, and secondary education.
Dulce de Jesus Soares stated that, of the 588 teachers sworn in at this ceremony, 491 were placed in General Secondary Education and 97 in Vocational Secondary Education. She added that the Ministry of Education has completed preparations for placing teachers on the waiting list, with a view to replacing teachers who are due to retire.
In his speech, the Vice Prime Minister congratulated the new teachers and highlighted the role of teachers in human resource development and national development. He noted that Timor-Leste has adopted a people-centred vision, reflected in strengthened teacher recruitment and selection processes with more demanding criteria for merit, qualifications, and professionalism during the term of the 9th Constitutional Government.
The minister also emphasised that the role of teachers extends beyond the transmission of knowledge to encompass character-building, the promotion of values, and the strengthening of Timorese identity, in line with the construction of a democratic and civic society.
Secretary of State Domingos Lopes Lemos reaffirmed the Ministry of Education's commitment to supporting new teachers in their work, emphasising that their appointment also represents a commitment to the future of the younger generation and the country.
At the beginning of December, the national education system had around 16,133 career teachers, distributed across almost 2,000 schools nationwide, providing education to around 390,000 students.
