The Minister of Education (ME) Dulce Jesus Soares said the Ministry of Education is conducting an evaluation of the Adult Education Program to determine which schools in the 13 municipalities are implementing the program adequately and which are not.
“We may decide to close classes in the municipalities were the program is not functioning adequately,” said Vice Minister Soares in Dili.
The Vice Minister added that payments for the teachers of these programs have been halted pending the evaluation of the whole program to determine who deserves to be paid for completion of their duties.
She added that it is not clear to the government in which schools the program and thus the learning process has been inactive even though all teachers keep asking to be paid their salaries without a benefit to the state.
“The teachers are supposed to be working and classes should be on. We will not pay to people who do not work,” said Vice Minister Soares.
Member of Parliament MP Jacinta Abucau said she agrees with the approach even though the government should create adequate mechanisms to move these issues.
“Teachers always get their payments late, some up to six months late. I hope this problem can be resolved,” added MP Abucau.
