The Ministry of Education has established the Equivalent Education Center (EEC) to enable drop-out youths to complete their pre-secondary education.
Coordinator of Vera Cruz Adult Education administrative post Luis Jose Oliveira dos Santos said the aim was to give young people the opportunity to complete their formal education.
“They are [school] drop-outs for economic reasons, and some of them are getting married,” he said at the Vera Cruz training center.
He said the Council of Ministers had approved the program and the subjects taught are similar to those in the formal education system.
He said the Ministry of Education had recruited pre-secondary teachers in eight subjects, including Portuguese, English and social sciences.
Once receiving their diploma, the students attending the equivalent education program then sit the same national examination as students within the formal education system.
He said there were currently 28 students attending the equivalent of pre-secondary education and there were plans to establish the same system for secondary school drop-outs.
Meanwhile, the Program Manager Timor-Leste for the Coalition for Education (TLCE), Matias dos Santos, said while the new policy had merit, he didn’t believe there should be separate centers specifically for school drop outs.
“We should send them back to the formal school so they can get used to it,” he said.
He said the new program would also be costly to run as it requires new infrastructure, teachers and facilities.
He also called for the program to be extended to other municipalities so that all young people, not just those in Dili, could have the opportunity to continue their education.
However, Member for Commission F (responsible for health, education, culture, veteran affairs and gender equality) MP Leonel Marçal said the program was a good initiative to ensure all young people got an education.
“It is a good policy that is helping drop-out youths from pre-secondary education get back to study and get a diploma and continue their study in secondary education and for those who are older so they can attend the vocational training,” he said.
He also called on the relevant institutions to monitor the criteria for school diplomas to ensure only deserving recipients completed it.
