The Political Economy of Adult Education and Development in Timor Leste

The paper arises from a research program at the University of New England (UNE), involving staff and research students working in adult education and peace studies. One of the goals of this program is to develop partnerships with Timor-Leste's government and non-government organizations, examining options available for post-compulsory adult education, and identifying the educational development assistance required for an appropriate adult education system to emerge. The work is ongoing, and this paper summarises our findings to date. It begins by defining adult education, and discussing briefly its historical links with development theory and practice. We then describe our research approach and methods, before outlining some basic data about adult education policy and programs as we have observed them operating in Timor Leste. The next section introduces a framework for analysing adult education effort at a national level, in a way which allows for a critical assessment of its overall impact on Timor Leste's development goals. The conclusion draws out some implications from the analysis in relation to the adult education workforce, including its national leadership, and to the issue of adult illiteracy.