The long road to learning

By Rebecca Fraser
SHEER determination is what got East Timorese English teacher Felix de Jesus Martins through his schooling.
As a child, he walked two hours to school and another two hours home each day.
Now, the 32-year-old father of one is working hard to ensure that other children in his home village of Pohilala do not have to take a similarly long journey.
Mr de Jesus Martins is currently visiting the City of Casey to help learn new teaching methods to take home and is also trying to raise $14,000 to build a more permanent secondary school in his village.
His visit has been sponsored by local group Friends of Ermera, who aim to work for the benefit of the people of the district of Ermera, to help them to rebuild their lives and communities.
Mr de Jesus Martin’s village is within the Ermera district and said he was very grateful for the opportunity to come out to Australia and help highlight his cause.
He will return home on Wednesday, 21 June, and so far has visited many local schools and churches and learnt many new teaching and English skills.
Mr de Jesus Martins said he was looking forward to passing on what he had learnt to his 63 students back home.
At present, Mr de Jesus Martins and five other teaching colleagues are conducting classes in a community meeting room.
He is now trying to attract enough funding to build three new classrooms, a staff office and a toilet block.
The English teacher said his secondary school could only currently teach year seven and eight students, but they would like to extend their classes to older students so they did not have to travel to other villages to continue their schooling.