According to the organization Forum Tau Matan about 75% of public schools across Timor have inadequate facilities. 
FTM Program Manager Honorio Almeida said the organization discovered this after monitoring in the districts.
“We should be honest, there are about 75% of schools without adequate facilities for the education process,” said Almeida in Kaikoli, Dili.
The problem faces many schools in remote areas.
“Our president, with his own initiative, visited the districts last week to see what situation schools are in,” said Almeida.
He said the facilities schools lacked included basic sanitation and tables and chairs in classrooms.
“As we look around Dili, especially in the Camea area, some schools have tables but no sanitation while some schools have good conditions but there are no tables and chairs,” Almeida said.
He said in the general state budget the state should invest 20% in the education sector, but Timor is yet to reach this percentage.
Inocensio de Jesus Xavier, a student from the Faculty of Politics and Social Science at the National University of Timor-Lorosa’e, said the Minister of Education didn’t have the desire to resolve education issues.
“I recently observed that in Junior High School No. 03 in Becora, they sat outside while doing national exams,” Xavier said.
Therefore, he argued National Parliament should increase the education budget for 2014 to 20%, so education issues could be resolved.
In response to these concerns, Minister of Education Bendito Freitas said the ministry allocated a budget of $3.9 million in 2013 to buy chairs and tables for schools.
Minister Freitas said the money was currently at the National Procurement Commission for verification before it went to the Court of Appeal, then it could be executed.
“Even though this law has been revised, at the moment it is in the National Procurement Commission.”
Therefore he asked them to speed up the process so the chairs and tables could be purchased in October.
“We hope that we can at least get 30,000 to 40,000 chairs and desks.”
