The Minister for Education (ME), Dulce de Jesus Soares, said that the development of pre-school education in Timor-Leste is a priority in the implementation of ME’s programs because pre-school education represents the first step in building an inclusive and educational society, and forms the foundation for children’s development in literacy and numeracy.
“Pre-school is the basis for developing literacy and numeracy in children before they enter primary school,” she said.
The Minister noted that before children enter primary school, they should already recognise letters, numbers, colours, and shapes.
“Our National Pre-School Education Policy outlines five (5) strategic priorities, including expanding access to quality pre-school education for children aged 3 to 5,” she emphasised.
She explained that the 5 strategic priorities include teacher training, curriculum development, strengthening parental and community engagement, and promoting inclusive education practices.
“We are improving the quality of early childhood education to ensure children develop strong literacy and numeracy skills before they enter primary school. We need to strengthen collaboration at national, municipal, and community levels to ensure a coordinated and holistic approach to early childhood education programs,” she said.
However, she acknowledged that in Timor-Leste, access to high-quality pre-school education and safe learning environments remains limited, reducing children’s ability to reach their full potential.
Meanwhile, the Coordinator of the Timor-Leste Coalition for Education (TLCE), José Monteiro, said that pre-school education is the fundamental basis of the entire education system, but ME has not given it sufficient attention.
“We see that most pre-schools in Timor-Leste are private, while public pre-schools are very few, which shows ME has not placed enough importance on this,” he said.
He noted that out of the 350 pre-schools in Timor-Leste, the majority are privately run.He also said that according to ME’s 2024 plan, the Ministry intended to establish 599 pre-schools across sucos nationwide to provide access for children aged 3 to 5, however, this has not yet been fully implemented.
