In September
2000, Bishop Dom Basilio, of Bacau, instigated a college
for the training of new teachers and the professional
development of current teachers. The Marist Brothers of
the Melbourne Province who have been working in East Timor
since 1999, are the administrators of this College.
The Catholic
Teachers College (CTC) offers an undergraduate teaching
degree in Primary Education. In 2003, CTC enrolled 53
students from across the 13 districts of East Timor for
the undergraduate program. These students will train as
the first intake of new primary teachers under the East
Timorese Education system.
CTC Bacau
is one of the few recognised international teaching institutions
in the country. The college continues to grow, and there
are thirty Timorese and sixteen international staff. International
staff from Australia, Brazil, Germany, Portugal, USA and
New Zealand have been seconded from educational institutions
or are volunteers from organizations such as Australia
Volunteers International (AVI) and PALMS. Skills are shared
between East Timorese and international staff with the
vision that the college will ultimately be run by East
Timorese. The College shares staff with the National University
and Centro de Formacao de Professores Continua, in Dili.
