Timor Leste Church supplying teachers to university

(March 14, 2011) The diocese of Dili in Timor Leste has been helping a state-run university in the capital, by assigning priests and nuns to teach at the institution. The National University of Timor Leste in Dili established in 2000, has 10,556 students from different countries including Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines. It hires 137 lecturers including four diocesan, Divine Word and Jesuit priests and five Canossian, Carmelite, Dominican and Franciscan nuns. “The diocese of Dili always supplies skilled priests and nuns to teach at the university,” said Miguel Maia, co-chairman of the academics desk at the end of a workshop last week. He said the local Church has played a significant role in the development of human resources in the country, explaining that priests and nuns have teaching experience in several developed countries. Sister Esmeralda, co-chair of the student affairs desk, said that Timor Leste now needs to focus on the development of human resources.