DILI, june 22, 2023 (TATOLI)- The Human Capital Development Fund (FDCH) urged the Minister of Justice to immediately provide passports for 11 scholarship students from Timor Leste who will be leaving for Indonesia in August 2023.
FDCH Executive Director, Cristóvão Dos Reis said the Minister of Justice should take full responsibility and find a solution for the shortage of passports for students who wish to study in Indonesia.
“The Minister of Justice is not competent to resolve passport issues, especially for students. This will slow down the travel of Timorese students to Indonesia in August 2023,” the Executive Director of FDCH, Cristóvão Dos Reis told Tatoli at his office, today.
He said the absence of passports for students would have an impact on students who would begin the study process at two institutions in Indonesia, consisting of Indonesian Higher Education Statistics (STIS) and the Accounting College (STAN).
FDCH hopes the new government will resolve the issue of passports, to ensure that Timor-Leste’s scholarships follow the 2023 academic year schedule from Indonesia.
FDCH also urges the Government to cooperate with the Indonesian Embassy to provide passport access for these students.
“I received information that the 11 scholarship recipients did not have passports and I hope these students will hold their passports soon,” said the managing director.
The FDCH also expects the latest information from the Minister of Justice and Minister of Finance regarding this matter.
Mr. Dos Reis said the scholarship recipients consisted of 30 students, 15 of whom would study at STIC University and 15 would study at STAN University.
Meanwhile, FDCH also recruited Timorese students to study in other countries such as Brazil, Portugal, and other countries.
The total fund provided by FDCH for the 30 students in the 2023 academic year, is worth USD 200,000.
Journalist: José Belarmino De Sá
Editor: Nelia
