Transforming Education Summit (TES) National Consultation Remarks by UN RC Roy Trivedy

11 August 2022 | City 8, Manleuana

Honourable Minister, Armindo Maia, Minister of Education, Youth and Sport;

Honourable Vice Minister, Antonio Guterres, Vice Minister of Education, Youth and Sport;

Honourable Chief of Cabinet of the President Republic Bendito dos Santos Freitas

Representatives of civil society organisations;

Development partners and members of the ACETL,

Members of youth groups;

Education advocates and enthusiasts;

Representatives of media organisations;

UN colleagues;

All respective protocols observed;

Ladies and gentlemen

1. First, I want to recognize services of all teachers during the most difficult times recently as a result of COVID and floods. My special tributes to all of you for your unmatching dedication and support.
2. It is my privilege to participate and deliver remarks on behalf of the UN Country Team at the national-level consultation meeting today in preparation for the Transforming Education Summit organised by the United Nations Secretary-General in September this year.
3. I want to declare that foremost Profession in my family is teaching. This includes teaching different age groups from youngest to university students. Several of my immediate and extended family members are involved in the teaching profession.
4. Let me also share with you three things I have learnt
   • Education can change and upgrade lives of individuals
   • Education is vital for a country’s development
   • Each teacher controls the classroom and seeks to provide best quality education to students at schools. So don’t wait for only school education to bring change. Education must continue beyond schools.
5. I believe teaching is a service to self and society. It can contribute to the betterment of nation as a whole. It is a source of its obvious benefits for a fuller and better life.
6. Today marks the culmination of the two-month-long consultation process that took place at the regional level in Ainaro, Baucau, Bobonaro, and Oecusse. I congratulate all of you for asking the challenging questions about why, what, and how we learn and teach throughout the consultation process. The multi-stakeholder and whole-of-society consultation will lead to important decisions that will set us on the path to helping our children and young people enjoy one of their most critical fundamental rights: quality education.
7. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to refer to some statistics to put into context why the discussions on the transformation of education are timely.

• The world is in the depths of a learning crisis exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 pandemic-related school closures have deepened the pre-existing learning crisis, exacerbating the inequalities in education.
• According to estimates in a recent UNESCO-UNICEF-World Bank joint report, the pandemic could see the number of 10-year-olds in the developing world who are unable to read a basic text increase from 20 to 70 per cent – from 1 in 5 to an astonishing 7 in 10.
• Timor-Leste is no exception. The continuity of education was severely impacted by COVID-19, as shown in the COVID-19 socio-economic impact study, which indicated that over a third of students stopped studying or studied irregularly due to the scarcity of learning materials.
• The UNESCO-UNICEF-World Bank joint report estimates that the pandemic could cost this generation of students close to USD 17 trillion in missed-out lifetime learnings.

8. Without urgent action on this learning crisis, we face a generational catastrophe.

Ladies and gentlemen, children and youth, journalists, parents, and community members,

9. Recognising this, the Transforming Education Summit in September would like to seek to renew the global commitment to education as the greatest public good. It seeks to mobilise ambition, action, solutions and solidarity to deliver on existing commitments, to leverage a reimagining of education to help recover pandemic-related learning losses and revitalise efforts to achieve SDG 4 between now and 2030. 
10. In searching for pathways to transforming education, the recently launched report from the UNESCO International Commission on the Futures of Education calls on all of us to re-visit and remind ourselves of why we learn,what we learn, and reimagine how we learn. The report also highlighted that education needs to build personal and collective capacities for transformation and growth and strengthen the social fabric and social contract.

11. When reimagining education, we must consider it a full package. Focus on building the foundation for learning continued learning by adults as well as children and youth, and putting in place systems, capacity building, and infrastructure that support learning. When doing this, we also need to leverage technology to benefit the most disadvantaged learners and provide sufficient and sustainable resource allocations. This calls for a more significant international partnership, collaboration, and solidarity. 
12. And as you engage in discussions today and at the upcoming Transforming Education Summit, I challenge you to:
    • Be bold in your decision-making for the future of our most precious resource – our children, youth, boys, girls, men and women.
    • Be innovative. The old systems were fragile, did not adequately cater to the needs of children, young people and adults, and were quickly impacted by the pandemic. Our education system needs better risk analysis and planning to prepare for future shocks as well as for learning continuity between the school and home environments.
    • Learn from other opportunities globally, adapt, and copy so that the people of Timor-Leste, especially young generations, get the best from our discussions, commitments, investments, and concern for their future.

I wish you a fruitful discussion throughout the consultation meeting today.

Obrigado barak!

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Observasaun

Sorumutuk Konsulta Nível Nasionál hodi prepara

Simeira kona-ba Transformasaun Edukasaun (TES)

Hato'o husi Sr. Roy Trivedy, Koordenadór Rezidente ONU iha Timor-Leste

11 Agostu 2022 | City 8, Manleuana

Hau nia Onra ba Ministru Edukasaun, Juventude no Desportu, Armindo Maia;

Hau nia Onra ba Vise-Ministra Edukasaun, António Guterres, Vise-Ministru Edukasaun, Juventude no Desportu;

Hau nia Onra ba Xefe Gabinete Prezidente Repúblika Bendito dos Santos Freitas,

Reprezentante hosi organizasaun sosiedade sivíl;

Parseiru Dezenvolvimentu no membru ACETL,

Membru grupu juventude,

Membru Edukasaun, defensór no entuziazmu;

Reprezentante hosi órgaun komunikasaun sosiál sira;

Kolega Nasoins Unidas sira;

Protokolu hotu-hotu;

Señora no señór sira.

1. Hau iha priviléjiu atu partisipa no hato'o diskursu hodi Ekipa ONU nia naran iha sorumutu konsulta nivel nasionál ohin loron nian kona-ba preparasaun Simeira Edukasaun Transformasaun ne'ebé organiza husi Sekretáriu-Jerál Nasoins Unidas nian, iha fulan-setembru tinan ida ne'e.
2. Ohin marka pontu aas husi prosesu konsulta durante fulan rua nia laran ne'ebé hala'o iha nível rejionál iha Ainaro, Baukau, Bobonaruo, no Oecusse. Ha'u nia parabéns ba imi hotu tanba husu pergunta barak kona-ba tanbasá, saida, no oinsá ita aprende no hanorin iha prosesu konsulta nia laran. Konsulta entre parte interesada no sosiedade tomak sei lori ba desizaun importante sira ne'ebé sei define dalan atu ajuda ita-nia labarik no foin-sa'e sira hetan direitu fundamentál ida: kualidade edukasaun.
3. Senhora no señór sira, ha'u hakarak refere ba estatístika ne'ebé tau iha kontestu, tanbasá diskusaun kona-ba transformasaun edukasaun nian nee tempu duni ona.
   1. Mundu ne 'e iha krize aprendizajen ida ne'ebé kle'an no aat liu tanba pandemia COVID-19. COVID-19 taka eskola ne'ebé relasiona ho edukasaun ne'e hakle'an liu tan krize aprendizajen ne'ebé iha ona, hodi provoka dezigualdade sira iha edukasaun.
   2. Tuir estimativa iha relatóriu konjunta UNESCO-UNICEF-Banku Mundiál nian foin lalais ne'e, pandemia ne'e bele haree númeru tinan-10 iha mundu ne'ebé labele lee testu báziku aumenta husi pursentu 20 ba 70 – entre 1 no 5 no hakfodak entre 7 no 10.
   3. Timor-Leste la’os exesaun. Kontinuasaun ba edukasaun hetan impaktu maka'as husi COVID-19, hanesan hatudu ona iha estudu impaktu sosioekonómiku COVID-19 nian, ne'ebé hatudu katak liu un-tersu estudante sira para eskola ka estuda irregularidade tanba falta material aprendizajen.
   4. Relatóriu konjuntu husi UNESCO-UNICEF-Banku Mundiál kona-ba estimasaun katak pandemia ne'e ba jerasaun estudante sira bele gasta besik USD 17 trilliaun lakon iha aprendizajen.
4. Bainhira laiha asaun urjente kona-ba krize aprendizajen ida-ne'e, ita hasoru dezastre ne'ebé sei mosu beibeik.

Señora no señór sira, labarik no foin-sa'e sira, jornalista sira, inan-aman sira, no membru komunidade sira.

5. Rekoñese ida ne'e, Simeira Transformasaun Edukasaun nian iha fulan Setembru, hakarak buka atu hafoun kompromisu globál ba edukasaun nu'udar publiku nia di'ak. Hakarak atu mobiliza ambisaun, asaun, solusaun no solidariedade hodi entrega ba kompromisu sira ne'ebé iha tiha ona, atu hasa'e provedór edukasaun nian ida hodi tulun rekopera lakon koñesimentu sira ne'ebé relasiona ho edukasaun no esforsu sira atu atinje ODS 4 entre agora no 2030.
6. Buka dalan atu transforma edukasaun, relatóriu husi Komisaun Internasionál UNESCO nian kona-ba Futuru husi Edukasaun husu ba ita hotu atu vizita hikas mai no fó hanoin hikas ita-nia an kona-ba saida mak ita aprende ona, saida mak ita aprende, no reidénsia oinsá ita aprende. Relatóriu ne'e hateten mós katak edukasaun presiza harii kapasidade koletiva no pesoál ba transformasaun no kreximentu no reforsa kontratu sosiál sira.
7. Bainhira hanoin fila fali edukasaun, ita tenke konsidera pakote ne'e nakonu. Foka liu ba harii fundasaun ba aprendizajen kontínua husi adultu sira, labarik no foin-sa'e sira, no tau iha sistema fatin, harii kapasidade, no infraestrutura ne'ebé apoia aprendizajen. Bainhira ita halo ida ne'e, ita presiza mós atu aproveita teknolojia ida ne'ebé di'ak hodi fó benefísiu ba alunu sira ne'ebé desfavoresidu liu no fornese alokasaun rekursu sufisiente no sustentável. Ida nee presiza parseria internasional ida nebe signifikante, kolaborasaun, no solidaridade.
8. No hanesan ita halo diskusaun ohin iha Simeira Transformasaun Edukasaun nian tuir mai, ha'u dezafia ita atu:
   1. Sai aten-brani hodi foti desizaun ba futuru ita-nia rekursu sira ne'ebé folin-boot liu – ita-nia oan sira, foin-sa'e sira, labarik-mane, feto, mane no feto sira.
   2. Inovadora. Sistema antigu sira ne'e fraku, la fó resposta adekuadu ba labarik sira, foin-sa'e no adultu sira nia nesesidade, no hetan impaktu lalais husi pandemia ne'e. Ita-nia sistema edukasaun nian presiza análize no planeamentu ida ne'ebé di'ak liu atu prepara xoke sira iha tempu oin mai, nune'e mós atu kontinua aprende entre ambiente eskola no uma nian.
   3. Aprende husi oportunidade global seluk, adapta no kópia, atu povu Timor-Leste, liu-liu jerasaun foin sae sira, hetan diak liu husi ita nia diskusaun, kompromisu, investimentu no preokupasaun ba sira nia futuru.

Ha'u espera atu iha diskusaun barak durante enkontru konsulta ohin loron nee.

Obrigado barak!