DILI, 06 june 2022 (TATOLI) – Co-Founder and Managing Director of Educating The Future (ETF), Adam Hegedus pledged to support the infrastructure development of early childhood education across Timo-Leste.
Educating The Future (ETF) — is an Australian not-for-profit operating at a grassroots level, seeking community and corporate support to deliver high-quality preschool education in the developing nation of Timor-Leste.
“Currently, 60% of Timorese children do not attend pre-school, therefore, Educating The Future (ETF) endeavors to liberate the potential of disadvantaged youth in developing nations through the power of education. Our mission in Timor-Leste is to Empower Early Childhood Education,” Hegedus made the comments after having a meeting with the President of the Republic, Jose Ramos Horta at the Presidential Palace, on tuesday.
He said the aim of supporting the preschool infrastructure development in Timor-Leste was to ensure that every 3 to 5-year-old has access to preschool across the country.
The importance of preschool education is that in preschool, children don’t just explore their environment but also develop physical coordination skills.
“We plan to support constructing pre-school buildings across the country. The construction of the pre-school buildings in the municipalities of Aileu, Baucau, Ermera, and Liquica is underway. We plan to construct a total of 350 preschools across Timor-Leste,” he said.
ETF will cooperate with the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports (MoEYS) and the municipal authorities to identify the sites for the construction of the preschools.
He said 20 pre-school buildings would be constructed next year: “We will discuss with the government of Australia and development partners in Australia about the budget. Because a two-classroom pre-school building will cost between US$45.000 and US$50.000. It covers the electricity bill, school materials for children, the preschool material guide for teachers, etc.”
He said a team will visit the municipalities to identify areas that require urgent support for the rehabilitation and construction of the pre-school buildings.
ETF has recently concluded the construction of a preschool building in Tibar Village, Bazartete Administrative Post of Liquiça. The inauguration of the building is set to take place on july 12, 2022.
President Horta praised ETF for its commitment to supporting the development of preschool education in Timor-Leste.
Jornalist: Nelson de Sousa
Editor: Cancio Ximenes/Nelia Borges
Translation: Filomeno Martins
