The Women in Politics and the Timor-Leste Parliamentary Women’s Group (GMPTL) has held an open discussion on the role of legislative bodies with Dili secondary students.
GMPTL president Member of Parliament (MP) Josefa Alves Pereira Soares said youth were the future of the nation, therefore it was imperative they understand this information.
MP Soares said the students learned about the separation of powers and citizens’ obligation to contribute to the development of their nation.
She called on the youth to get the most they could out of their educations as the government was spending a lot of money on education in an effort to produce good quality workers for the future.
“We ask more about our rights than we do our obligations,” she said.
“Our obligations as citizens are to study and to capacitate ourselves in order to serve because the nation needs the thoughts of the new generation.”
Year 12 student Armandina de Araujo thanked the MP for the information which she said helped them to improve their knowledge of legislative processes and women’s participation in politics.
“We are very thankful to the organization that put on the discussion and now we know about the role of the legislative and the executive and the electoral system within our country,” the 4 September Secondary School student said in Balide.
The students urged the legislative bodies to examine the execution of the education budget as they said public schools were in poor condition.
Program co-ordinator Paula Corte Real said similar discussions will be held in other districts.
She said students needed help from all quarters to fulfil their potential and avoid temptations they may come across on social media.
The Jakarta branch of USAID donated more than $4000 to the project through the Jakarta Partnership.
