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FOHOREM EAST TIMOR EDUCATION PROJECT

The parish of Fohorem is located in the Cova Lima District of Timor Leste in the far west of the country, nearly 11 hours by road from Dili.

To date, replacement of infrastructure in the subdistricts of Fohorem, Fatumean and Fatululik has been extremely slow. The peoples of the mountains have received little of the benefits of development monies that have been poured into Dili and the eastern parts of the country.

The Claretian priests established the parish of Fohorem in 1992. Prior to that time, the priest from Suai occasionally visited.

The parish comprises a large tract of land on the West Timor border, and covers four of the subdistricts of the Cova Lima District: Tilomar, which incorporates most of the area of Salele, is close to Suai. Two Claretian priests, including the Parish Priest reside in Salele. Fohorem, Fatumean and Fatululik, the mountain subdistricts comprise the rest of the Fohorem parish.

The parish is situated in the mountains, and combined with the fact that there has been little to no maintenance on the road system since 1999, travelling conditions in the wet season are deplorable. In the dry season it nearly two hours to Suai, which is about 40 km away.

At times it can be difficult to move goods in or out of the region, as there is no bridge across a large river between Fohorem and Suai. In 1998 the Indonesians commenced construction of a bridge, but it was never completed.

Educational Needs

The educational situation in Fohorem is quite complex. The Claretian priests administered a primary school, which was built up to over four hundred and seventy students and provided quality education by both Timorese and Indonesian standards. The Government administered a junior high school. Now there are three schools in Fohorem itself.

In the subdistrict, most of the smaller schools have four classes only and the students then walk into Fohorem for classes five and six, and for junior secondary education. Many of the students who come from the outer areas are over-age students who have had gaps in their education. It is difficult for young children to walk for one or two hours each way to attend school on an empty stomach, and then to walk home in the afternoon.

At the beginning of the school year 2004/2005, last September, a new central primary school was opened for the sub-district. This school is staffed by many former teachers from the Catholic School and now has about 270 students. Most of the furniture and equipment from the Catholic School was taken to the new Government Primary School. As an indicator- a complete set of the Tetum Language program costs about $800US. It is difficult to see all the wooden desks and chairs stacked to the ceiling at the back of these classrooms and in front, the new plastic chairs and tables which the students use. The Catholic School and many of the smaller primary schools in the district lack basic resources, including one school which is established in a house.

The morale of the teachers in the Catholic School has been low, with the loss of teachers and students, but they continue to provide the best education they can under the circumstances. The Government does not pay the salaries of all the teachers, two receive an honorary salary which is less than half of that paid by the Government. These honorariums are composed of income from school fees supplemented with money from the parish- which has negligible income. Parents pay $0.50US per month for school fees, or $1 if three or more students from one family.

In order for the school to be functioning effectively for the new school year commencing in September, there are needs at four levels:

  • Basic furniture and equipment
  • Resources including texts
  • Inservice activities
  • Repairs to one building and re-establishment of toilets

Repairs, Basic Furniture and Equipment

Repairs, replacement and securing of classrooms and toilets

  • Replacement of locks for three of the six classrooms
  • Completion and securing of windows for three class rooms
  • Repairs to cracks in the floors of three classrooms
  • Repair and mounting of blackboards for six classrooms
  • Painting inside the six classrooms
  • Construction of display boards
  • Construction of lock up cupboards and shelving for each classroom
  • Replace roof and repair toilets and build water tank

Furniture and Equipment for teachers/principal's work area

  • Purchase of long carriage manual typewriter
  • Purchase of table and chairs for teachers work area/principal's office

Resources

  • Replacement of Tetum Language Readers
  • Purchase of teaching materials for mathematics and literacy
  • Purchase of equipment for demonstration use

Inservice

A Pilot Program for teaching methodologies is to be established in the Fohorem Catholic School. It is anticipated that this will be replicated in other schools in the subdistrict at a later date.

I am to attend a "Train the Trainer" program in Dili in July. I will then conduct workshops with the teachers of the first four years of primary school. I will also provide ongoing support of the Tetum Literacy Program. (Students will develop literacy in Tetum and then bridge to Portuguese in classes three and four). As part of the program, there will be extensive support for two of the teachers who will be prepared for delivering workshops in Tetum literacy in other schools.

Sr Helen Nolen rsm
Paroquia Coração Immaculado De Maria, Fohorem
PO Box 56

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