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.