The Government of the recently independent country of Timor-Leste is a strong advocate of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It has a population of 1.2 million people, over half of whom are subsistence cultivators. Education is seen by the majority of Timorese as part of the solution to its development problems. But the post-colonial Education system following on from its two former colonial powers (Portugal and Indonesia) has resulted in a system that seems to be counterproductive to that objective, attracting the brightest students away from areas where they could make a difference to do courses where they do not learn many skills.
The SDGs could provide a way out for Timor-Leste if applied systematically. Indeed a start has been made with the introduction of a Permaculture Garden in every primary (Basic) school and the introduction of a new primary curriculum which links skills to a deep understanding of history and culture alongside the principles and practice of agro-ecology.
This paper argues that more could be done in other sectors by linking SDGs, in particular energy, sanitation, life on the land and life under water, with different levels of education. Organizations of the Social Solidarity Economy (co-operatives, credit unions, microfinance, fair trade, social enterprise and community supported-agriculture) can be not only locations of production but also vehicles of non-formal education which can motivate larger numbers of young people to stay in their communities and make a contribution to transforming them.
The authors are associated with the Department of Community Development at UNTL, which is pioneering a postgraduate course looking at Assets-based Approaches to village level development which will produce facilitators able to implement this kind of program.
