The Instituto Católico a para Formação de Professores (ICFP) located in Baucau, Timor-Leste is a Marist-run Catholic Teachers College that offers an accredited Bachelor of Teaching. It is only one of two providers of primary teacher training in the country.
Following on from the news we last brought on ICFP’s February graduation which saw 48 students presented with a Bachelor of Teaching, we can now report that In August the Ministry of Education asked these students to supply their Curriculum Vitae and it is anticipated that many of them will be offered employment.
There are currently 170 male and female students at ICFP undertaking the Bachelor of Teaching course; 69 first year, 50 second year and 51 third year. There are also 55 students studying the Licenciatura da Educação, a 4th year addon raising the course to a Bachelor of Education equivalent in Australia through intensive sessions with a mentor.
Continued school visits with monitoring and accompaniment have resulted in improved teaching and learning strategies, based on the new curriculum, in 42 schools in the rural areas in Baucau and Viqueque. Until the end of August, classroom observations continued each week with feedback from the mentors who observed the teachers.
ICFP is committed to providing opportunities for students from rural areas of Timor-Leste to gain qualifications. This is critical for the development of the country as the qualified teachers head back to their community ensuring that an increasing number of students across Timor-Leste gain the benefits of learning from child-centred pedagogy.
Australian Marist Solidarity would like to thank Lenity Australia for their program funding and all of the groups and ‘friends’ groups that support ICFP students with scholarships.