By the end of the month, a group of 17 basic education teachers from the public education network will leave Brazil for East Timor through the Program for Teacher Qualification and Portuguese Language Teaching (PQLP). For around six months (with a possible extension), they will work on the development and revision of teaching materials, monitor Timorese teachers implementing initiatives in the classroom, and develop courses in Portuguese as a second language, among other activities.

The program is a CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel) initiative in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the East Timor Government. The Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) is responsible for the pedagogic coordination of the project. The program is considered strategic in assisting the development of East Timor, where more than 85% of teachers in the country do not have appropriate academic training. The program began in 2005 and moves into 2013 with a planned investment of R$ 3 million. 

The cooperation agreement signed between the Brazilian government and East Timor provides for sending 50 teachers to the country annually. The program is also expected to expand in the coming years.

The Brazilian teachers selected for the program will receive monthly payments in the amount of € 2,100 for trainees and € 2,300 for pedagogical coordinators, in addition to travel expenses, health insurance, assistance with settling in and location allowance. In the coming months, CAPES is expected to release the official notice for selection of new teachers interested in providing training in East Timor.

Source: Ministry of Education