Timor-Leste’s long-term direction for education is set by the National Education Strategic Plan (NESP) 2011–2030, complemented by medium-term sector plans and the 2024 Partnership Compact agreed with the Global Partnership for Education.
National Education Strategic Plan 2011–2030
The NESP is a twenty-year plan, costed through 2030, whose most fundamental commitments are universal basic education, gender parity at all levels and full literacy for young adults. It organises the sector’s work into seven educational priority programmes , spanning early childhood, basic, secondary, technical-vocational, higher and recurrent education , and six management priority programmes that strengthen the Ministry’s capacity to deliver them.
Key strategies under the Plan include:
- Developing and implementing a new national curriculum framework at every level
- Building new in-service and pre-service teacher training systems
- Recruiting and deploying teachers where they are most needed
- Expanding and rehabilitating school infrastructure nationwide
- Prioritising investment in basic education, including pre-school, adult literacy and outreach to marginalised children
GPE Partnership Compact 2024
Adopted in April 2024, the Partnership Compact focuses the government and its partners on one priority reform: improving inclusive and equitable access to, and participation in, quality education. The reform is organised around four focus areas:
- Better data on children with disabilities and children out of school
- Development of the education workforce
- Family and community engagement
- Education quality and learning outcomes
Alignment with National and Global Goals
Education strategy is aligned with the Timor-Leste Strategic Development Plan 2011–2030 and with Sustainable Development Goal 4 (quality education for all). Progress is reviewed jointly with development partners and civil society through ACETL, the local education group.