Voluntary teachers of the Junior High School No.1, in Viqueque, urge the Ministry of Education to look into their current status as teachers. 
School Principal, Agapito Martins, said he has eight voluntary teachers in his school who have not been offered permanent positions as yet.
“My eight voluntary teachers started teaching in 2012 and yet their names are not on the permanent list,” said Principal Martins.
Meanwhile a Member of Commission F, for Education and Health, at the National Parliament, MP Ilda Maria, said out of the General State Budget for 2013 discussions, Commission F demanded the Ministry of Education to look into the statutes of voluntary teachers.
“Every year we demand the voluntary teachers issue be resolved,” said the MP.
She added the number of voluntary teachers is increasing every year, as the principals in schools across the country continue to enlist voluntary teachers.
“So when we recently allocated funds to pay voluntary teachers, the funds were not sufficient. Data shows the number of voluntary teachers is more than the funds allocated out of the State Budget.”
She questioned whether this issue will be adequately dealt with in 2014 given data shows currently there are some 3,000 voluntary teachers in the country.
“We visited each school in Atabae, in Bobonaro District, and found that some of them said they have been teaching for almost five years but they have not been contracted to permanent teacher positions, while others who came after are not on permanent contracts,” said the MP appealing principals to inform the Ministry of Education prior to appointing volunteer teachers to avoid discrimination in the recruitment process.
Meanwhile the President of Public Service Commission, Commissioner Liborio Pereira, said the currently the commission is still assessing the number of voluntary teachers in the nation.
“The public service commission does not just want to receive a list, we need to check to see if the lists are valid or not,” said Commissioner Pereira.
He added the commission has almost completed this assessment.
“We do not want a list of voluntary teachers that includes a ghost list behind them,” cautioned Commissioner Pereira.
