The National University of Timor-Lorosa’e (UNTL) has held an international conference to promote scientific discovery in Timor-Leste and share new findings.
UNTL vice rector for post-graduate affairs Francisco Miguel Martins said the conference allowed scholars to share scientific knowledge and gave researchers an opportunity to present the results of their research.
He said national development was dependent on academics conducting scientific investigations and sharing those results with the government.
The three-day conference used 10 themes including humanitarian, economic, social and political issues as well as agriculture, engineering and education.
Education minister Bendito Freitas said the conference helped to give direction to future academic inquiry at UNTL and in Timor-Leste as a whole.
He appealed to UNTL to use its position as public university to display the potential of academic research.
He said while the quality of academic research in Timor-Leste was improving, weaknesses still existed, particularly in teaching quality.
UNTL researcher Flaviano Soares said he was grateful to be able to present the findings of his research.
Soares presented research about the keeping of pigs in Timor-Leste.
“This international seminar should go on in the future and should be participated in not only by UNTL but other higher education institutions as well,” he said.
The seminar was funded the government, Timor Telecom, Sapo TL, The Dili Weekly and Silvia Printing Dili.
