The founder of LABEH organization, Christopher Henry Samson, said its training center will launch English courses for children aged 4 to 6 years old.
He said early training was very important for children as it would help give them a head-start when they entered basic and secondary education.
“We see that sometimes it’s hard for students to speak basic English even though they have completed their higher education,” said Samson at the students’ farewell party, held at LABEH hall room, in Comoro, Dili.
He said the issue was related to the lack of qualified English teachers in Timor-Leste.
Samson also praised the Ministry of Education’s decision to add English language to the national curriculum.
Meanwhile, President of Commission F (for Health, Education, Culture, Veteran Affairs and Gender Equality) Member of Parliament MP Virgilio da Costa Hornai said English was particularly important in this era of globalization.
“Speaking several languages is really helpful for personal communication and to access jobs,” said Hornai.
He also acknowledged the lack of qualified English teachers and said this was something that needed to be addressed during the recruitment process.
