Building Evidence, Shaping Policy

Abstract

Reliable evidence is needed to design
 policies that will allow overcoming Timor-Leste's
 remaining challenges in provision of quality education. In
 recent post-conflict years, aided by availability of oil
 revenues, Timor-Leste has been able to considerably improve
 availability of schools and access to education. This report
 presents findings of the 2012 Education Survey,
 collaboration between the Ministry of Education, the
 National Directorate of Statistics, AusAID and the World
 Bank. The survey collected detailed information at all
 primary, pre-secondary and secondary schools in the country.
 Its objectives were to support the improvement of
 Timor-Leste's education quality and service delivery
 through building a solid information source and analytical
 foundation which will allow for sound, evidence-based policy
 making. The survey results indicate that student absenteeism
 should be a major cause for concern. More than one third of
 grade one students were absent from school on the day of the
 survey, in some districts it was half or even more.
 Education levels of primary school teachers are low, with
 the majority only having secondary education. For 71 percent
 of primary school teachers the highest level of education is
 secondary school, for 6 percent it is even lower. Both
 demand and supply side interventions are needed to tackle
 the challenges faced. Some key policy areas should be: 1)
 improving school attendance through creating appropriate
 demand-side incentives; 2) enhancing teacher quality; 3)
 strengthening instruction language policy; 4) improving
 education system management; 5) improving school
 infrastructure and learning environment; and 6) ensuring
 adequate supply of textbooks.