Introduction
For the fulfilment of the individual assignment in the
course of Educational Policy and Management Process, course number SHED 546,
the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education Policy of Timor-Leste is chosen.
In this study, the assign student go through the current evidences of the
Timor-Leste’s Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education Policy and
implementation. As the Timor-Leste, being a youngest nation, facing with the
educational reconstruction since 2 years before the independence was announced by
the United Nations 2002. It is a potential evidence to see and encourage the
nations or community who are in the diversity of languages and cultures like
Timor-Leste, and with the experiences of colonization and conflict between the
ethnicities due to the marginalizing and dominating by a language or a culture
can be taken as example. A short background information of Timor-Leste will be
told in the coming section and the policy and implementation process will be discussed.
Background of Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste is the youngest sovereign nation in Southeast
Asia. Almost 400 years bound under the Portugal colonization and again invaded
by Indonesia within 10 days after Portugal left them in 1974. Indonesia
occupied from 1975 to 1999, and became fully independent in May 2002. Timor-Leste
is a small country with 5641 sq. mi (14609 sq. km) and over one million population.
Timor-Leste is historically well recognized as linguistically most complex and
promoted. They have two official language; Portugal and Tetum, and two
languages; Bashasa Indonesia and English are used in the work place. Sixteen
languages are well recognized as indigenous languages including Tetum. In
addition, there are a number of other smaller indigenous languages (Hajek
2000).
Linguistic Situation
Linguistic situation in Timor-Leste is to be shown as an
example of Multilingualism practices. Even though this country is a very small
but rich language about thirty languages are seen as home used languages.
“Indeed, many families and
communities use more than one. Estimates of their number differ according to
ways of classifying languages and dialects.” (Bowden and Hajek 265)
According to 2004 Census, Timor-Leste has 32 ethnic
languages (National Bureau of Statistics 80). The variety of Tetun,
Tetum-Praça, is functioned as a lingua franca almost all country and used as
first language in Dili. Timor-Leste also experienced, colonized by two countries;
Indonesia and Portugal and two years of transitional administration by United
Nations (UN) that left three dominant foreign languages, Portuguese, Indonesian
and English. In 2002 Constitution, four languages such as Portugal, Tetum,
Indonesia and English are made as official and co-official languages. Indonesian and English are mainly considered
to be used as working languages in the civil services.
Language Issues in Education
In Timor-Leste, language is main issue to be considered in
education sector. At the very beginning of time, there are many issues involving
in which language supposed to be official language. For the Timor-Leste,
Portugal to be official language but it is very difficult young generation
because Portugal langue is new for them. The language can be a barrier for study. The education must be taught and teach the subjects that gain more
knowledge for the children’s new life experiencing with changes and
successfulness in their lives. Mostly young generations quit from school and
continue with extra course such as English course or the computer course.
General Background of Education in East Timor
The education system of Timor-Leste was destroyed during the
conflict to achieve independence from Indonesia. Now they are working with
UNICEF to rebuild the education system. Child-friendly schools are considered
the key strategy to improving basic education. Timor-Leste strongly believe
that all Timorese children have the right to complete nine years of free basic
education. However, high repetition rates, dropout rate and poor learning
outcome remain a key challenge. UNICEF’s child friendly schools will
drastically improve education for the children of Timor-Leste.
The Child Friendly School Strategy is:
• Child centeredness
• Democratic participation
• Inclusiveness
East Timor has faced the new millennium as the new country
in the 21 century. Nine East Timorese organizations have formed the East
Timorese Network of Popular Educators. The formation of this network grows from
the recognition of the critical role of education in the process of East
Timorese democratization. The majority of the population was marginalized
during Indonesia’s occupation and during this transitional period, there has
not yet been much significant change. The formal education that now exists is a
legacy of the Portuguese and Indonesian systems and does not include liberating
principles. The goal of popular education is to empower all people to be able
to participate in decision making processes. Popular education is a collective
act, not an individual one.
Mother
Tongue Based Multilingual Education Policy
Mother tongue based multilingual education is widely
separated out in multilingual settings. And the term mother tongue is also
described by many scholars and researchers as first language or the best know,
understand language by a person. Dr. Kimon Kosonen and Young had made a good
definition of mother tongue for educational purpose –
“a language one speaks and
understands competently enough to learn academic content at the appropriate age
level.” (Kosonen and Young 2012)
Children should start their learning process through what
they have really known and learning academic content should be appropriate with
children’s age and progress accordingly.
In principle, MTB-MLE programs enable learners to begin
their education in the language they know best. Learners are gradually
introduced to additional (official) languages and learning to communicate in
these languages. The most effective programs develop both multilingualism and
multi-literacy by building on L1 oral and literate competence, while teaching
additional language(s) (Benson, “How Multilingual” 329). These programs are
known as strong or additive MTB-MLE programs.
Timor-Leste, the youngest nation, today proposing with
strong effectiveness of the MTBMLE guidelines for the education policy. The
MTB-MLE policy recommends using first languages for initial instruction with
the gradual introduction of Tetum and Portuguese and the later additional
languages such as Indonesian and English can be used.
Policy Background
Post 1999, Timor-Leste focused on the educational planning
challenging with many changes. The challenges involved not only changing
curriculum content but also the medium of instruction but claiming that it was
a key goal to reform. Tetum is considered the L2 for most children, although it
is acknowledged that Tetum should be regarded as L1 for teaching purposes in
some communities; Portuguese is regarded as L3, English as L4 and Indonesian as
L5. English and Indonesian are not prioritized until the third cycle of basic
education, where it is recommended that English is introduced as a compulsory
subject in Grade 7.
In 2008, the Basic Education Act was introduced and a major
structural change to the system, acknowledging the role of mother tongues as
languages of teaching and learning, and of Tetun as a second language of
instruction. TLNCU was main to develop a language-in-education policy based on
international best practice from various research. The MTB-MLE National Policy
was launched in 2011, on mother language day. The policy planning was made as
2011-2013 plan. At the same time curriculum and materials for teaching Tetun as
a language were being developed by the Ministry of Education. This policy took
place by doing pilot programs launched in 12 schools in the districts of Lautein,
Manatutu and Oekusi.
Policy framework
MTB-MLE pilot was evaluated based on the three important
principles:
·
The use of a mother tongue for early education.
·
The additive multilingual principle, whereby the
mother tongue provides a foundation of competencies which are transferred to
additional languages (TLNCU 2010, p. 1).
·
Child-centered pedagogy.
These three principles are interlinked in MTB-MLE. MTB-MLE
is part of an education sequence, available to and compulsory for all young
people of Timor-Leste, which aims to ensure mastery of the co-official
languages and enable the learning of a first foreign language (as stated in the
Base Law of Education Article 12).
A mother tongue-based program for early education employs
the first or home language (L1) for children who do not understand the
languages of instruction. The mother tongue-based multilingual policy for
Timor-Leste defines mother tongues as “the home languages of learners”.
Policy Development
The policy development was started in 2009 with coordination
of MOE and with the help of National Education Commission (NEC) and key
advisory body. In 2010, the MOE mandated the NEC to form a working group for
the preparation of language-in-education policy guidelines and planning
strategies. The Timor-Leste Strategic Development Plan (TLSDP) was made up with
two statement as social policies which include educational development planning
for 2011-2030.
The 2 statements are as follow;
1.
To improve access to education, and build a
solid foundation for future literacy and numeracy in both Portuguese and Tetum,
local languages will be employed as languages of teaching and learning in the
first years of basic education, providing a smooth transition to the
acquisition of Timor-Leste’s official languages, in accordance with the
recommendations of the mother tongue-based multilingual education policy for
Timor-Leste. (TLSDP 16)
2.
Given the diversity of national and local
languages in Timor-Leste, the National Education Commission has initiated
studies on mother tongue-based multilingual education for Timor-Leste. These
studies aim to ensure that children are not disadvantaged and that all have
equal access to an education, providing a smooth initial transition to the
acquisition of TimorLeste’s official languages. (TLSDP 25)
Both statements become the MTB-MLE policy initiation.
Policy Goals
The Ministry of Education set up the goals for midterm and
long term. The medium term goal to be achieved by 2015 including the ongoing
program MTB-MLE in demonstration schools. The key long term goal to be achieved
by 2020 includes the expansion of mother tongues as subjects and as medium of
instruction in the basic education.
Policy implementation and enforcement process
As Timor-Leste Strategic Plan Development declaration has
been made, there are many activities that disseminate the policy implementing
and providing training, promoting traditional knowledge, and pilot project gone
through.
Providing Training
Seven Modules of theory and practice for adult literacy
constituted the core of a training provided to the National Directorate for
Recurrent Education (NDRE) to enhance their techniques on the pedagogy of adult
learning (Dili 2327 April 2012). The modules included topics on the management
of adult learning, effectiveness of education for new and advanced literates,
managing adult learning groups, techniques to motivate adult learners,
assessment systems for adult learners, and the development of a professional
portfolio for adult teaching-learning activities.
A 5 day capacity building workshop held in Dili (February 6
– 10, 2012) was organized for the National Directorate of Education (NDRE)
personnel and leaders of Community Learning Centers (CLCs) with the objective
of strengthening their problem solving and decision making skills. The workshop
aimed specifically at enhancing participants’ knowledge in understanding
problem solving methods and decision making in the organization; acquiring
knowledge and skills on different types of problem solving methods and
decision-making models; identifying gaps and problems in problem solving and
decision making skills and the abilities of decision-makers in recurrent
education; and, improving problem solving skills and decision making practices
at NDRE.
Promoting Community-Based
In order to have effective policy implementation Timor-Leste
took hold the communities knowledge promoting their perception. UNESCO has
supported, since 2011, activities to promote traditional knowledge
systems and linguistic, cultural and biological diversity of Timor-Leste.
Following a year-long research, consultations and public
debate, on 10 May 2012, the first edition of the book on local knowledge in
Timor-Leste was launched “Matenek Lokal, Timor Nian” (Local Knowledge of
Timor!).
Pilot Project
The pilot program was undertaken for the implementation of
Mother Tongue Based-Multilingual Education Policy (MTB- MLE) in three districts
in the country: Lau- tem, Manatuto and Oecusse.
Two pre-schools and two primary schools per district were
selected to participate in the pilot program making a total of 12 pilot
schools. Continuous training is being conducted for trainers and teachers
administering the project.
At pre-school level, and from grade 1- 4 in primary school,
children use their mother tongue as the language of instruction. It is through
their mother tongue that the official’s languages (Portuguese and Tetun) are
gradually introduced. They (Tetun and Portu- guese) then become the languages
of instruction in Grade 4 and 5. The generic plan for implementation of the
MTBMLE pilot program was presented to and approved by the Ministry of Education
on 13th December 2011.
The language progression plan shown as following is used to
teach the languages and subjects in the curriculum.
Pre-school year 1
|
Pre-school year 2
|
Grade 1
|
Grade 2
|
Grade 3
|
Grade 4
|
Grade 5
|
-Oral
|
-Basic
reading and writing in the first language
|
-Pupils
go through fluency reading and writing of their first language/ mother
tongue.
-the
second language (Tetun) is introduced orally as a subject
|
-Introduce
basic reading and writing in the second language (Tetun).
-The
third language (Portuguese) is introduced orally at this stage as a subject
|
-Pupils
go through fluency reading and writing of -the second language (Tetun). Basic
reading and writing of Portuguese is introduced using equally the mother
tongue
|
-Pupils
go through fluency reading and writing of Portuguese using both the mother
tongue and Tetun
-English
is introduced orally using the mother tongue and Tetun
|
-Portuguese
and Tetun become the principal
-Languages
of instruction and education and deploy the first language/mother tongue whenever
necessary to reinforce comprehension
|
MOI -
MT
|
MOI -
MT
|
MOI -
MT
|
MOI -
MT
|
MOI -
MT
|
MOI –
MT & T
|
MOI –
P &T (MT)
|
MT
100%
|
MT
100%
|
MT 95%
T 5%
|
MT 80%
T 15%
P 5%
|
MT 70%
T 20%
P 10%
|
MT 50%
T 25%
P 20%
E 5%
|
MT 20%
T 35%
P 35%
E 10%
|
Results after the implementation of the policy
Policy Impacts
According to UNDP estimates, the population aged 6 years and
above who had no formal schooling fell from 45 to 40% while adult literacy rose
from 38 to 51%; primary school completions increased from 31 to 43% and
secondary Kerry Taylor-Leech 57 school completions from 12 to 15% (“The
Millennium Development Goals”). These improved indicators are encouraging but
Timor-Leste still have challenges to achieve EFA. The present children attend
the pre-school only 11% and, according to the 2010 Census, net primary school enrolment
is 70.8%. The pilot program has been running for one year and the evidence
shows outstanding success. There are considerable evidences pointed out from
the pilot program as follow;
·
Teacher assistants Language of instruction
·
Parents and the community involvement
·
Teachers and teaching style: TPR and DTA.
·
Classroom interactions
·
Classroom management
·
Literacy materials
Obstacles and Challenges
Timor-Leste teachers are still need to understand the
principles of the policy. Especially, the principle of combining mother-tongue
literacy with a staged progression to the co-official languages of Timor-Leste.
The issues of teacher training and the resources are needed to address. The
limitations need to be corrected before any extension of the policy takes
place.
Conclusion and Analysis of Policy Adaptation
In this section, I would like to make some notes on
Timor-Leste’s multilingual education policy that is taken place as example for
the countries in multicultural and multilingual settings. The Timor-Leste had
been suffered from abused and marginalized by colonies in terms of language
used in education although Timorese are the majority. It is often the case in
countries with colonial histories that former colonial languages continue to be
privileged over indigenous languages in formal schooling, a policy often
justified by the supposed neutrality and international reach of these
languages. As Myanmar was one of the colonial countries, colonial language,
English has been influenced and Burmese as an only official language dominate
other ethnic languages at post-colonial period until present. Nevertheless, it
is noteworthy in learning Timor-Leste leaders stood up with full understanding
of previous problem. Looking back to their histories of education and people
recognizing that they extremely need to take challenges to be able to achieve
bright future and for their generation.
The MTB-MLE policy recommendations for multilingual
countries offer the best guarantee that schools will produce literate citizens
and competent speakers of the languages; mother tongue(s), national language,
and international language as well. The MTB-MLE policy proposals provide a
structured approach to the teaching and use of languages in education that can
invigorate policy and support both learners and teachers. If the proposals are
given the opportunity to be effectively implemented and extended, the policy
has the potential to improve learning and strengthen engagement in schooling.
By recognizing children’s right to learn in the language of their home or
learning community, teachers can promote social inclusion, instil pride in
their pupils’ ethnolinguistic identities and build a strong sense of national
identity, one which valorizes the languages and cultures of all citizens.
There is a concern that MTB-MLE creates social division and
threatens national unity. However, successful MTB-MLE programs can help promote
social inclusion and national integration through their recognition of diverse
ethnolinguistic identities that can be learned from other Asian countries like
Srilanka and India. Policymakers should therefore take on board the critical
role that linguistic exclusion plays in denying access to the educational
resources which can help combat poverty. Moreover, it is vital for policymakers
to appreciate that it is not only former colonial languages that can threaten
diversity. The privileging of one local indigenous language over others can
also have devastating effects on minority languages. This process encourages
people to shift to the use of these lingua franca from indigenous minority
languages, a process that eventually results in a reduction of linguistic
diversity. Loss of diversity leads to the weakening and eventual loss of local,
indigenous knowledge, culture and traditions. Therefore language-in-education
policies should treat linguistic diversity as a resource and a development
asset rather than a problem or liability then the continued vitality of the
local languages is to be ensured.
For EFA and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) to become a reality, it is essential to reach out to people in their own
languages. Timor-Leste’s experience shows that effective MTB-MLE not only
enhances the learning of official languages but also helps increase enrolment
and retention, improve educational achievement and involve local communities in
the life of the school. MTB-MLE policy implemented in Timor-Lest is a shining
example for others to follow in showing the steps that can be taken to protect
linguistic diversity and achieve multilingual education for all. Eventually, having
studied Timor-Leste’s mother tongue-based multilingual education policy
implementation process with challenges and achievements give us substantial and
convincing evidence that it provides the best means of achieving universal
education and literacy.
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