STEP program gets a fillip

TWENTY two teachers of English at 15 secondary schools in the District of Ermera, Timor Leste will receive support and training from Australia.
The Friends of Ermera (FOE) have sent support teacher Elvira Virgona to Ermera to establish a two-year support program.
FOE president Jan Trezise said Ms Virgona would be working on a two-year secondment Palms Australia volunteer with the teachers of English.
This comes under the new Support for Teachers of English Project (STEP) program that she said had the enthusiastic support of teachers, principals, and the District and National Education authorities in East Timor.
It is being viewed as a program that may be made available to all teachers of English in the secondary schools throughout the emerging country.
Since 2002 Friends of Ermera members have been visiting schools in the District of Ermera.
The teachers of English have made many requests for teaching and learning resources and over the years a variety of resources have been provided.
However, in 2007 FOE engaged experienced teacher and trainer Lee Norris to travel to Timor Leste to conduct a feasibility study into the need for a program that would support the teachers of English in the District of Ermera.
He had to determine the learning resources required, establish the support in the Ermera District for such a project in partnership with the Friends of Ermera, and identify the availability of a suitable space for the project office and a model language classroom.
The feasibility study confirmed that teachers have had little or no opportunity for formal training and needed a program to assist them improve both their own English language skills and also to ensure they are better able to provide a learning program that meets the needs of their students.