President Ramos-Horta urges 29 departing IOB scholars to study hard in Portugal
DÍLI, 9 October 2026 (TATOLI) – Twenty-nine Timorese students from the Institute of Business (IOB) today met with President of the Republic, José Ramos-Horta to receive advice before departing for their studies in Portugal.
Backed by a collaborative program involving IOB, parents, and both the Timorese and Portuguese governments, the cohort is divided into two groups: 21 students will pursue higher education at the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, while the remaining eight will attend technical-professional secondary schools.
During the farewell meeting, President Ramos-Horta delivered a simple but firm message to the scholars: “study, study, and study.” He encouraged the youth to take full advantage of Portugal’s high-quality education system and firmly dismissed any excuses about the Portuguese language being too difficult.
The President reminded them that Timorese youth successfully adapt and learn entirely new languages when sent to study in countries like China, Vietnam, or Korea.
The IOB initiative has sent nearly 300 students to Portugal since its inception in 2017.
According to IOB Rector Pedro Barreto Ximenes, roughly half of those beneficiaries have already graduated, with many advancing to master’s or doctoral degrees, or entering the European workforce.
The departing students expressed immense gratitude for the opportunity, with scholars Glória Patrícia Freitas da Silva and Jonas Barreto Lopes pledging to hold firmly to the President’s advice and dedicate themselves fully to their education abroad.
TATOLI
