Dili, Timor-Leste – Timor-Leste is preparing its higher education system for international recognition of qualifications, bringing together national institutions and international experts to assess the country’s readiness for the Tokyo and Global Conventions.
Qualifications recognition plays an important role in enabling students, graduates and professionals to continue their education and careers across borders. For Timor-Leste, preparing for the Tokyo and Global Conventions means reviewing whether the policies, institutions and processes needed to support fair and transparent recognition are in place, while identifying the areas that require further national action.
To support this process, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Culture (MESCC) and UNESCO convened the National Consultation Workshop on “Fostering an Interconnected and Innovative Education System: Timor-Leste’s Readiness for the Tokyo and Global Conventions,” The consultation brought together government agencies, higher education and TVET institutions, quality assurance bodies, development partners, and experts to review the country’s readiness and identify priorities for the next phase of work.
Opening the workshop, H.E. Filipus Nino Pereira, Minister of Commerce and Industry, representing H.E. the Vice Prime Minister and Acting Minister of Higher Education, Science and Culture, emphasised the importance of national participation in validating the assessment and shaping the next steps.
Three Timorese experts presented the revised National Qualifications Framework and the preliminary findings of the readiness assessment. The assessment found that Timor-Leste already has important legal and institutional foundations for qualifications recognition, including its quality assurance system, higher education database and ongoing reform of the National Qualifications Framework. It also identified areas requiring further work, particularly in recognition procedures, institutional responsibilities, data management, and institutional capacity.
Building on these findings, experts from the Republic of Korea and Greece shared how their countries have developed qualifications recognition systems and address similar challenges. Participants then identified priority reforms and institutional responsibilities that will shape the next phase of Timor-Leste’s preparations.
Speaking on behalf of UNESCO, Mr Hiromichi Katayama, Education Programme Specialist at the UNESCO Regional Office in Jakarta, emphasised that recognition goes beyond verifying certificates.
Recognition is about much more than recognising diplomas. It is about ensuring that learners, researchers and professionals can continue their education and careers with confidence, wherever opportunities may take them. It is about promoting equity, mobility and international cooperation through education.
Hiromichi KatayamaEducation Programme Specialist, UNESCO Regional Office in Jakarta
READ MORE: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/timor-leste-prepares-international-recognition-higher-education-qualifications?hub=701
