[RNLD] Public lecture by Kirsty Sword Gusm=?ISO-8859-1?Q?=E3o_?=at ANU

[Susan Poetsch]

Public lecture: Language, language policies and education in Timor-Leste
Date and Time: Fri, 2012-07-20 17:30 - 18:30
Location: Finkel Lecture Theatre, John Curtin School of Medical Research
Presenter: Ms Kirsty Sword Gusmão

Details and RSVP at http://billboard.anu.edu.au/event_view.asp?id=91940
and http://languages.anu.edu.au/event/languageTimor
Timor-Leste is a nation rich in cultural and linguistic diversity. With over sixteen languages spoken across the country in addition to the officials languages of Tetum and Portuguese,Timorese society is truly multilingual. Whilst the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste defines Portuguese and Tetum as co-official languages, and English and Indonesian as working languages, the issue of language in education remains highly sensitive and challenging.
While Portuguese and Tetum are currently used as languages of instruction in most of the education sector, the knowledge of these languages amongst many students and teachers, particularly in remote areas, remains very poor. The limited mastery of students and teachers alike of the languages of instruction is contributing to school failure, high rates of school drop-out, and has the potential to lead to socio-economic exclusion and marginalization.
The 4th Constitutional Government's National Strategic Development Plan 2011-2030 acknowledges that a key factor contributing to delayed acquisition of reading and writing schools in primary -school age children is inadequate use of students' mother tongues. Timor-Leste's National Education Commission presented the Ministry of Education with a National Language in Education Policy in February 2011, and amongst its key recommendations was the adoption of children's first language as the language of instruction in pre-primary school and throughout the first three years of primary education as a means of assisting young learners to transition successfully to learning in the official languages.
The lecture will explore the issues of language use and language in education policy in Timor-Leste through the lens of linguistic rights and preservation, social justice  and identity building, and provide a snapshot of the Timor-Leste National Commission for UNESCO's Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education pilot program.
This lecture is free and open to the public.

Ms Kirsty Sword (Gusmão) was appointed by the President Dr. Jose Ramos Horta as Goodwill Ambassador for Education in October 2007. She is Chair of the Timor-Leste National Commission for UNESCO and also heads up the National Commission for Education. She is passionate about the issue of language policy and language of instruction in schools in Timor-Leste and is presently spear-heading initiatives aimed at giving a role to the country's some 30 local languages in the education system.

Information about the work of the Alola Foundation can be found on the website: http://www.alolafoundation.org/
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