Education plays an integral role in the formation and nurturing of young people in Timor-Leste.
In Quelicai, the St Terezinha Central School must accommodate the graduates of students from 12 Catholic primary schools. While Australian Marist Solidarity is supporting the expansion of Abafala Catholic Primary School into a junior high school (Click here to go to Abafala School), St Terezinha Central School’s ageing infrastructure, coupled with demand, will still struggle to accommodate these graduates.
Australian Marist Solidarity takes a dual approach to improving the education system through our support of the Marist-run Teachers Training College in Baucau (ICFP), and our commitment to rebuilding, renovating aged schools and those damaged when Indonesia exited the country. When the Indonesians retreated from Timor-Leste in 1999, they enacted a ‘scorched earth policy’ which crippled the education sector as 80% of schools were destroyed completely and 90% of the remaining schools damaged. This has lingering implications for students and teachers of today as many schools remain badly damaged and in a derelict state.
St Terezinha Central School is the only Catholic School in the area around Ossu and is an important hub for education. Together, we can help rebuild St Terizinha Central School and provide future generations access to quality education.
