East Timor focuses on human resources development

East Timor focuses on human resources development

By Yemris Fointuna

DILI, East Timor (JP): Since breaking away from Indonesia,
East Timor has been working hard to prepare itself to become a
new country. The capital city Dili, for example, is very
different from when the territory was still part of Indonesia.
Now people can go anywhere as they wish without fear or threat.
Economic activities have also started up again.

The inhabitants -- working as farmers, laborers, employees of
international agencies or humanitarian institutions, company
employees and entrepreneurs -- are now busy with their day-to-day
activities again.

Students have returned to school, although some of the
buildings are still being renovated after being burnt down by
pro-Jakarta militiamen in the period following the self-
determination vote on Aug. 31, 1999.

In most parts of the city, people are still celebrating their
independence, the fruit of their long struggle.

However, some serious problems remain that must be resolved by
the United Nation Transitional Administration in East Timor
(UNTAET).

The most crucial issue is related to human resources.

Dili residents Carlos Sarmentho de Araujo, 34, and the
45-year-old Jose Gusmau shared the same opinion that the East
Timorese could no longer stay relaxed, expecting the good times
to roll as they used to do.

Now that they have gained their freedom, they must change
their old behavior -- generally marked by a lack of discipline, a
penchant for a happy-go-lucky life and their habitual fights --
and start a new life so as to give meaning to their independence.

After establishing a new authority in East Timor, formerly
Indonesia's 27th province, UNTAET set up a policy of developing
human resources by putting in place an education system for all
East Timorese. School-age children must go to school based on
their appropriate levels.

UNTAET chief in Dili, Sergio Vieira de Mello, said the
educational division of UNTAET has laid down a policy of
educating some 236,000 students in some 900 schools located in 13
districts across East Timor, while some 5,000 university students
are now pursuing their studies at the state University of Timor
Lorosa'e.

For school education purposes, the division has distributed
free-of-charge 1.1 million copies of textbooks and another
700,000 books for the 2001/2002 school year.

Almost 6,500 school teachers and university lecturers have
been recently recruited and they are now attending a general
management course at the Civil Servants' Training College in
Dili.

According to the schedule, the educational division will
launch a teachers' training program in October. Snap courses will
also be given to teachers without a university degree, while
teachers graduating from universities will receive training while
working.

UNTAET also established on July 14 a national language
research center -- which is aimed at supporting the Schools of
Agriculture, Economics, Education, Technology and Political
Sciences -- to boost the use of Tetun (the local language) so
that it can become a national language.

The future of education in East Timor has attracted lots of
attention from around the world. Over 100,000 people, 31 percent
of them women, are actively participating in civic education.

This year alone, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
has disbursed nearly US$80,577 for this purpose. The body has
spent some $55 million on financing all the educational needs of
the country. An UNTAET official report said that 60 percent of a
$600 million fund disbursed by the United Nations has gone toward
funding education.

It is very interesting to see school-age children becoming
enthusiastic in preparing themselves to study. They are now
studying lessons based on a revised curriculum derived from the
Indonesian version plus Portuguese, Tetun and English as
compulsory subjects.

The students even try to be financially independent by working
after school. They usually work as brokers, newspaper boys or
part-timers in some private offices.

"At school, we are taught to be disciplined, to appreciate
life and to realize the benefit of hard work. We are simply
putting into practice what we have learned at school," said Jose,
a student at the SD 3 elementary school in East Dili.

Being financially independent and being well-disciplined seem
to be common among students.

Agustino Soares (15), who goes to the SMP 1 junior high school
in Comoro, said he had to sell U.S. dollars to keep on going to
school.

"I can make a profit of Rp 500,000 (US$55) to Rp 1 million a
day," said Agustino. This was echoed by friends Apoli Nairio, 15,
and Manuel Gusmau, 14, who also sell dollars.

The boys said they usually watched television or read
newspapers to follow the latest exchange rate of the U.S. dollar.
"If the rupiah drops sharply, we can usually make a bigger
profit," said Agustino.