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In September 2000, Dom Basilio, Bishop 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.

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 for 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 30 Timorese and 16 international staff. International staff from Australia, Brazil, Germany, Portugal, the 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.

Education has been highlighted by the government as a key area for development. In the 3 years following the 1999 Independence Referendum, many of the 95% of schools and other educational institutions, which were destroyed in the '99 post ballot period, have been rebuilt or rehabilitated and enrolments in schools have increased markedly.

However, much remains to be done. Figures show that:

• the level of illiteracy is 64% in women and 49% in men
• in the year 2000-2001, of the 2,091 junior/senior high school teachers, only 106 had ever had formal training.
• when the Indonesians pulled out in 1999, so did 20% of primary and 80% of secondary school teachers as well as leaders in the areas of business, education, industry and government.
• 57% of the adult population have little or no schooling, 10% have completed senior secondary education and 1.4% higher education.

Well-educated people are few, and even fewer are qualified to teach and manage. As a country often cited as the poorest in Asia, the challenges facing East Timor in its economic, cultural and socio-political development are enormous. One key to the independent and sustainable development of this nation will be through education.

This Bursary Program seeks your support for the future of East Timorese teachers and a system of education that can successfully respond to future challenges for the people of this country. By contributing to this program you will be making a real and practical difference to the potential of East Timor through the education of its children – East Timor's future workers and leaders. Your financial commitment will be matched by our ongoing commitment to train, work with and walk alongside the future educators of the first new nation in this millennium.