Volume2,No.

4,JulyOct2011

UNESCO: TimorLeste Newsletter

N E W S L E T T E R D A T E

TimorLestesMinistryofEducation CelebratesInternationalLiteracyDay
TheNationalDirectoratefor RecurrentEducation (NDRE),incoordination withUNESCOJakartaand itsAntennaOfficeinDili, celebratedInternational LiteracyDayonSep tember8,2011atthe NDREAuditorium. Theprogramwas attendedbyaround 70participantscom posedmostlyofMoE staffandofficials, NDREstaffincluding DistrictCoordinators, developmentpart ners,NGOsandcivil societies. DirectoroftheNDRE,Filo menodosReisBelo,opened theprogramandexpressed hisappreciationforthewell attendedcelebrationof InternationalLiteracyDay withits2011themeof LiteracyforPeace,which wascelebratedalloverthe world.Dr.NestorReyes Balmores,SeniorTechnical ConsultantoftheCapEFA ProjectofUNESCOinTimor Lestealsogaveashortre markonbehalfofUNESCO Dili.Hepointedouttheim portanceoftheeventand stressedthateveryonehas theresponsibilitytoworkfor improvingliteracyandto achievetheMillenniumDe velopmentGoalsby2015,in particulartheeradicationof adultilliteracyinTimor Leste.Mr.RemegioRedj Alquitran,alsoaCapEFA Consultant,readoutthe globalmessageofthe individualcandeveloptheir potential,andactivelypar ticipateinshapingmoresus tainable,justandpeaceful societies. Onbehalfofthe DirectorGeneralfor BasicEducation, Mr.Domingos Maia,DirectorFilo menodosReisBelo wentontobriefthe participantsonthe historyoftheliter acymovementin TimorLeste,aswell astheliteracyadvo caciesofNDREin theoveralldevelop mentofTimorLeste.Three presentationsfollowedthe Directorsspeech:(1)The CubansupporttoNDREun dertheSimOuPossopro grambyMr.SalvadorLopez CuestaoftheCubanCoop erationinTLProgram(2) NDRE'snationalliteracy programsbytheChiefofthe LiteracyandDistanceEduca tionUnitofNDRE,Ms.Fer nandaGonzagaRebeloand, (3)experiencesinimple mentingliteracyactivitiesby theFUNDAMORNGOinthe districtofLosPalos. Thecelebrationwasclosedby aprayerandthewholeevent wascoveredbylocalmedia.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Celebrating Literacy Day

Science and 2 Math Teacher Training Strengthening 3 Journalists Workshop on Literacy Concepts School-toWork Transitions & UNESCO Quarterly Meeting Study Visits Debriefing Korean National Commission Visit

UNESCODirectorGeneral, MsIrinaBokova,inboth TetumandEnglish. ThemessageoftheDirector GeneralofUNESCOwas thatInternationalLiteracy Daythisyearplacesaspecial focusontheessentialrela tionshipbetweenliteracy andpeace.Itwasfurther mentionedthatliteracyisa prerequisiteforpeacebe causeitcarriesmultiple benefits,cuttingacrossthe human,cultural,social,po liticalandeconomic spheres.Themessageends byurginggovernments, internationalorganizations, civilsocietyandtheprivate sectortomakeliteracya policypriority,sothatevery

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LocallyrelevantHandsOnScience andMathematicsTeacherTraining
Thelocallyrelevanthandsonscienceandmathematicsteachertrainingwas implementedbySESIM(CentreStudyofScienceandMathematics)underthe umbrellaofTimorLesteNationalCommissionforUNESCOincooperationwith theMinistryofEducationthroughtheNationalInstituteofTeachertraining (INFORDEP)withfundingsupportfromtheKoreanNationalCommissionfor UNESCO. Theobjectivesofthistrainingarethreefold.Firstly,totraintrain erswithpedagogyandcontentactivitiesthatwillbepresentedto teachers.Secondly,forthetrainerstothencarryouttwoweeksof trainingwithteachersfromacrossTimor.Thirdly,theschoolsare thenvisitedinordertofollowuponthetrainingtheyreceived. Thetrainersweretrainedoverfivedaysbyaconsultantfromthe USA.TheylearntaboutseveraltopicsrelevanttoTimorsScience andMathematicscurriculum,throughsimplehandsonactivities, usingeverydayandlocallyrelevantmaterials.Thetrainersalso learntpedagogyandteachingtechniquestobeusedtoassistScience andMathematicsteachers. Afterthisintensivetraining,theteachertrainerspassedontheirknowledgeon toScienceandMathematicsteachersovertwoweeksfromSeptember623, 2011atINFORDEPE,Balide,aswellasaschoolinTaibesi. Onthefirstday,thetrainingwasopenedbythePresidentofINFORDEP,ac companiedbythethreevicepresidents,theheadofUNESCOantennaofficeof Dili,anddelegatesfromKNCU.Thetrainingincludedlearningaboutpedagogy, usefulapproaches,andpracticalexamples,alllinkedtocurrentcurriculumand localenvironmentandculture.Duringthetraining, someimportantpeoplevisitedthetrainingcenter,such astheViceMinisterofEducationMr.PauloAsis,Father PalomoandtheKoreanAmbassador.

Teacherparticipants activelyinvolvedin experiments.

TheBiology trainer:Ms. Alexan drinhaPa sos,leada classwhilst beingob servedby Mr.Gabriel (consult ant).

Aswiththeopening,thetrainingwasclosedbythe
presidentofINFORDEPandwasalsoattendedbythe currentchairpersonofTimorLesteNationalCommis sionforUNESCO,Ms. KirstySwordGusmao, whopresentedacer tificatetothebestparticipant. Afterthesetwoweeksthetrainersgoonto visitschoolstoassisttheteachersonthejob whentheyreturntoteachintheclassroom.
AgroupphotowiththeProfessorfrom ROKandtheothertwodelegations.

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StrengtheningJournalistscapacitiesonhuman rightsreportinginTimorLeste
TheTimorLesteMediaDevelopmentCenterandUNESCO,incollaborationwiththeUNMIT,organizedatraining forjournalistsonhumanrightsreporting,heldinDilion2226August,2011.Theworkshopprovidedyoungjour nalistswithmaterialandtrainingonnationalandinternationalhumanrightsstandards,UNconventions,andthe TimorLesteGovernmentscommitmentsintheareaofhumanrights.Theworkshopalsodevotedspecialattention tospecifichumanrightstopicssuchasgenderbasedviolence,childrensrights,andfreedomofexpression. Thetrainingwasattendedby56traineesbothfromDiliandtheDistricts.Mostoftheparticipantswerereporters fromthelargecommunityradionetworkinthecountry,butalsojournalistsfromtheprintandtheonlinemediaas wellasagroupofjournalismstudentsfromtheNationalUniversityofTimorLeste. Mr.AllanThompson,acareerjournalist,journalismprofessorandmediatrainerdidawonderfuljobofdesigning anddeliveringthetrainingincludingsessionsonbasicconceptsofnewsgathering,principlesofinterviewing,sto rytellingandwritingandtheapplicationoftheseconceptstohumanrightsreporting. Thetrainingincludedafieldworkday.Thetraineeswhoweredividedintothematicgroups,accordingtotheirin terests,spreadoutacrossDilitoworkonanewsstory.Withtheinformationgathered,theyproducedradiodocu mentariesandpiecesofprintjournalismthattheypresentedafterwardstotherestofthegroup. Asafollowuptothetraining,UNESCOandTLMDCareproducingahandbookforjournalistsinTimorLesteon humanrightsreporting. CapacitybuildingonhumanisofhighinteresttoUNESCO.TheOrganizationaimstopromotehumanrightsedu cation,encourageanddisseminatehumanrightsresearch,andleadactionsinthefightagainstallformsofdis crimination.

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CapacityDevelopmentWorkshoponLiteracy ConceptsOrganizedinDili,TimorLestefor NDREStaff

Withintheframework oftheCapEFAProject andinresponsetothe needforanincreased knowledgeandunder standingoftheNa tionalDirectorateof RecurrentEducations (NDRE)leadersand staffonliteracypro grams,aCapacityDevel opmentWorkshopon LiteracyConceptswas organizedon35August 2011inDili,TimorLeste andattendedbyaround 90participantscom posedofsubdistrict coordinators,district coordinators,keyna tionalstaffincluding technicalstaffandtrain ersoftheNationalDi rectorateforRecurrent Education. Theworkshopwas aimedatenhancing theparticipantsun derstandingaboutin vestinginliteracyand adultlearningbyex posingthemonemer gentliteracyconcepts andidentifyingkey literacyelementsthat definetheliteracyen vironmentinTimor Leste. Dr.AbdulHakeemof APPEALinUNESCO BangkokOfficewas assistedbyMs.Kaoru SuzukiHoughtonin presenting:Knowing theBenefitstoMake theCaseforGreater InvestmentinLiter acyAddressingCriti calIssuesinLiteracy UsingGenericLiteracy PrinciplesandBench marksAsaStarting PointforPolicyDia logueandRegional SupportforEnhancing CapacityforMaterials Development.Dr. NormadeLeonSal cedo,HeadoftheSe cretariat,LiteracyCo ordinatingCouncilof theDepartmentof EducationinthePhil ippinesalsotalked aboutGoodPractices inLiteracyandAdult LearningandRolesof CommunityLearning Centers:ThePhilip pineExperience. Afterthetwolectures, theparticipantsat tendedroleplaying andsmallgroupses sionstoaddressthree workshopgoals(1) strategiesonhowliter acycanbeusedasa continuingprocessfor theempowermentof people(2)factors and/orelementsina literateenvironment and,(3)fleshingouta seriesofcontinuing strategiestocreateand maintainaneffective andefficientliterate environment.Thepar ticipantsdevelopeda draftactionplanin ordertostrengthen literacyprogramsin TimorLeste.Theele mentsoftheplanare: amassivecommunity mobilisationforcom munityliteracyfur therstrengtheningof theexistingliteracy programsoftheNa tionalDirectorate and,theinclusionof emergentconceptsin existingteachingand learningmaterialsfor TimorLestesnational literacyprograms. Abriefevaluationof theworkshopwascar riedoutasthelastses sionoftheactivity, followedbyagroup photosessiontodocu menttheactivity.

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InCountryWorkshoponStrengtheningSchoolto WorkTransitionProgramsConductedinTimorLeste
AntennaOfficeinDili.The aimsoftheworkshopwereto simplifythedraftStandards, GuidelinesandQualityIndi catorsforStrengthening SchooltoPostSchoolTran sitionProgrammesforStu dentswithPhysicalDisabili tiesandSensoryImpairments foradoptionwithinthecon textofTimorLeste. DirectorAlfredoAraujoofthe NationalDirectorateforBasic EducationandSchoolGrants openedtheworkshop.Two keyprocesseswereunder takenduringtheworkshop: (1)explanationofthework ingdefinitions,underlying assumptions,andguidance onusingtheStandardsand and(2)presentationofthe differentdomainsofthe Guidelines.Discussionsthen proceededonthecontextualiza tionofthesestandardsand guidelinesinTimorLeste. Dr.DavidMitchell,UNESCO Consultantandauthorofthe Guidelineswasthemainfacilita toroftheworkshop.Thepartici pantswentthroughthedifferent domainsoftheGuidelinesand reflectedontheexistingsitua tionofthecountryasfarasthe standardsandguidelinesare concerned.Theparticipantspro videdrelevantandcontextual izedinformationonthecountry inrelationtotheguidelinesand draftedactionplantomeetthose guidelinesandtoimprovethe applicationofthestandardson thetransitionprogram.Adocu mentwaspreparedasthefinal outputoftheworkshopandwill serveasabaseforthenextsteps towardsthefullapplicationof theguidelinesinTimorLeste.

About20participantscomposed ofMoEofficials,includingDirec torAlfredoAraujoofBasicEdu cationandSchoolGrantsand DirectorAlfonsoSoaresofPolicy andPlanning,attendedthe2 dayInCountryworkshoponthe StrengtheningofSchoolto WorkTransitionProgramsfor StudentswithPhysicalDisabili tiesandSensoryImpairments heldon2324August2011atthe ExcelsiorResortinDili,Timor Leste. Theworkshopwasorganizedby theInclusiveEducationUnitof theMinistryofEducationledby Mr.JoseMonteirowithsupport fromUNESCOJakartaandits

QuarterlyMeetingOfTimorLeste NationalCommissionForUNESCO
The Timor Leste National Com mission for UNESCO was offi cially launched by HE President Mr. Jose Ramos Horta on April 23, 2009. The Commission is chaired by Ms. Kirsty Sword Gusmo, who is also the Good will Ambassador for Education andthePresidentofAlolaFoun dation. The Timor Leste Na tional Commission for UNESCO consists of executive members and the secretariat. The execu tive members meet every three months or as required to advise the National Commission on issues and priorities. The meeting is usuallyorganizedbythesecretariatof National Commission. For 2011, we held the third National commission meeting on September 14. The meet ing was attended by 23 executive members, 2 guests from Korean Na tionalCommissionfromUNESCOand a group of people who attended an UNESCO study visit overseas, so that they could report back on their study visit. There were several agenda items dis cussed during the meeting such as: followup on the participation pro

gram project, and reports from the ChairpersonandthecurrentSecre tary General regarding the last three months activities and other priorities.

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InCountryDebriefingontheStudyVisits to5CountriesonEquivalencyEducation andRoleofCLCsOrganizedinTimorLeste

TheIncountry Debriefingonthe StudyVisitsto FiveCountries onEquivalency Educationand theRoleofthe Community LearningCentres (CLCs)wascon ductedon12August 2011attheExcelsior ResortinDili,Timor Leste. ThirtyoneNDRE officialsandrepre sentativesfromthe3 CLCsattendedtheIn CountryDebriefing. Thedebriefingwas aimedatidentifying thebestwaytoim plementequivalency educationaswellthe roleoftheCommu nityLearningCen tres,basedonthe experienceofthe Philippines,Nepal, Thailand,Indonesia andBangladesh.The ultimateintention wastodeveloprele vantlessonslearnt intoanactionplan foradoptionin TimorLeste. Followingthepres entationoftheStudy Teams,aproposed actionplanwasde veloped.Thepro posedactionplan wouldserveasthe participantspro posalforpossible adoptionbyNDREin ordertoimprovethe implementationof equivalencyEduca tioninTimorLeste andstrengthenthe involvementofthe CLCs. Ms.KaoruHough ton,APPEALProject OfficeratUNESCO Bangkok,critiquethe strategiesthatwere identifiedinincorpo ratingthelessons learntinNDREs RecurrentEducation Programs.TheIn countryDebriefing wasfacilitatedbythe CapEFAProject TechnicalConsult ants,Dr.NestorBal moresandMr.Re megioAlquitran, whowereassistedby theNDRETeamand supportedbyMs. KaoruSuzuki Houghtonof UNESCOBangkok Office.

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VisitationfromKoreanNationalCommissionforUNESCO toTimorLesteNationalCommissionforUNESCO
Thethree delega tions fromKo reanNa tional Commis sionfrom UNESCO.

Relatedtothehandsonsci enceandmathematics teachertraining, threedelegatesfromthe KoreanNationalCommis sionforUNECSO visitedtheNationalCom missionforUNESCOTimor Lesteduringfivedaysfrom September1015,2011. Theobjectiveofthevisitwas toprovideinformationre gardingthemissionand visionofNationalCommis sionforUNESCOandto alsobuildtherelationship betweenTLNatcomand KNCU.

Duringthevisitthedele gatesattendedtheopening ceremonyofHandsonSci ence,assistedinteaching someofthetopicswithin thetraining,andvisitedsev eralsecondaryschoolssuch asESSoPedroComoro, ESExternatoSoJosand ES5deMaio.Theyalso attendedthequarterlyNat commeetingonSeptember 14,2011. Duringthemeetingthe delegateswereabletoshare informationwithTLNat com,includingKNCUlegal status.
T h e

Mr. Woojin CHO was sharing information

Representativeofthepartici pants,Mr.AbeldasNeves, presentsaTAIStothepro fessorfromKNCU.

FormoreinformationonUNESCOactivi tiesinTimorLeste,pleasecontact: UNESCODILIANTENNAOFFICE

UNAgencyHouse,RuaCaicoli,Dili, TimorLeste Tel.:(670)33322863,Fax:(670)3322864 Website:www.unesco.org,

TIMORLESTENATIONALCOMMISSION FORUNESCO

MinistryofEducation,VilaVerde,Dili, TimorLeste. Tel.:(670)3339663,Cellular:(670) 77774063 Email:tlnationalcom@gmail.com

Volume2,No.4,JulyOct20112011