Most East Timorese children back in school, says UN
23 March -- The United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) reported today that 92 per cent of the East Timorese children who attended primary school in 1998 and 1999 are back in the classroom.
In a statement released in Dili, the UN mission said that more than 147,000 children are currently being taught by some 6,400 teachers. Many of the schools have been repaired with assistance from UNTAET, as well as the previously-deployed International Force in East Timor and the United States Navy. UNICEF, the UN Children's Fund, and its implementing partners have distributed two hundred and fifty metric tonnes of roofing materials to the schools, UNTAET said.
There is no standard curriculum in East Timor, but UNTAET plans to establish one by next October, when a congress of teachers will be held in the territory. Classes are now being taught in Tetum, Bahasa Indonesian, Portuguese or English. The total number of schools registered by UNICEF in East Timor stands at 686.
