DILI, 23 september 2022 (TATOLI)– KOICA Alumni Association of Timor-Leste (KAATL) organizes an annual seminar on Korean and Timor-Leste Education systems and policies for University students.
KAATL President Gil Quintao Boavida said the seminar is held annually to share information with students and other Timorese people on the Education system and policies of South Korea and Timor-Leste.
“We are holding a seminar this year and this year’s topic is ‘Educational Systems and Policies’ of Korea. The South Korean education system focuses more on student skills when students are still in elementary school, after completing elementary school to college they already have so many skills that can contribute to the country’s development, another thing was classroom management is to ensure the limitations of students in class, to help students to study well,”
According to Boavida, KOICA is very proud to have contributed to the development of human resources of international partners and the government added that the contribution is offered through capacity building and progress for the future.
Boavida, said This year, seven qualified Timorese government employees started the Master’s degree program in South Korea, and 58 officials from three government institutions participated in online short-term training, said therefore with today’s event he hopes to share valuable insights on the issue with the beneficiaries.
“We hope that at today’s event, we will gain and share valuable insights and engage in fruitful discussions on current issues in Timor-Leste’s education policy with Timorese who are about to begin their studies in Korea and those who wish to study in Korea,”
A student from UNDIL, Serafín Dos Reis De Andrade from the Faculty of Education and the Department of English said that there are some differences and similarities between the two countries’ education systems.
“We understand that there are differences and similarities between the two countries of South Korea and Timor-Leste in the education system, Korea has an education system that focuses on developing students’ skills from primary school to university level and another thing is the class management, and this system does not exist in Timor-Leste, therefore, we must also prioritize these systems, particularly classroom management, it is one of the keys to ensuring students can gain more knowledge and contribute to the quality of education in Timor-Leste,”
Meanwhile, Andrade also assessed the weakness of the education system in Timor-Leste because of the infrastructure deficit, limited modern education teaching materials, and the problem of teacher salaries.
Following the report from KOICA, from 2010 to 2022 a total of 700 students attended short-term training in South Korea while 60 students graduated with Master’s degrees.
So far, the workshop has been attended by more than 100 students from various universities consisting including the National University of Timor-Leste (UNTL), Dili University (UNDIL), Superior Institution of Cristal, and the University of Oriental (UNITAL).
This seminar is organized by KAATL and funded by KOICA with an annual budget of USD 15,000.
KAATL is KOICA Alumni who have completed CIAT Program(Capacity Improvement & Advancement for Tomorrow), either short-term or long-term through KOICA.
Journalist: José Belarmino De Sá
Editor: Nelia B.
