Can Students Learn Without Books?

It’s hard enough to get through high school. It just became more so in East Timor, where students and teachers often spend valuable class time speaking different national languages. 

“At our public high school in Aileu, that’s what we have--a mix of four languages,” said Maryknoll Sister Julia Shideler.  “Is it a surprise that students are confused, teachers are frustrated, and parents disappointed?” 

Sister Julia teaches full-time in Aileu, a small city not far from the northern coast of this Southeast Asian island the country shares with Indonesia. That country ruled East Timor, a former Portuguese colony, for years until the Timorese voted to oust Indonesia in a UN referendum ten years ago this August.
East Timor is now an independent state. Portuguese, long banned in East Timor, has been declared a new official language. Education is seen as a way out of poverty--and a national literacy rate of only 43 percent. But with all the changes taking place here, how do families find security in daily life following the political violence that took place after the referendum? 

In East Timor, children suffer when schools lack enough resources.

Sister Julia is a calming presence. Her background as a teacher is helping East Timor make the transition to a literate society. Sister Julia mentors a youth group at her school, sings in a teachers' choir, and takes part in children's advocacy, teaching, and pastoral tasks.

Still, can students learn if they don't have the right textbooks?

 “Not only do most Timorese teachers understand and speak Portuguese poorly, they also lack textbooks and materials to facilitate this transition,” Sister Julia said. “So most second- and third-year classes are still using Indonesian textbooks, curriculums, and exams.” 

Some new textbooks in Portuguese are finding their way into East Timor's classrooms, but not enough. Religion and civics classes education are still taught in Tetum, the local language, while English is taught to all. The Indonesian language still dominates in most Timorese schools.

 “For me, I take it all in stride as one of those things to accept, adapt to, and approach positively,” Sister Julia said. In addition to having a college degree in Spanish, Sister Julia also knows French and Tetum, as well as English.

“Many people wondered, knowing I have a background in Spanish, why I’d chosen to mission in East Timor. Little did I know that it would help me learn and teach Portuguese, which resembles Spanish.”

Watch Sister Julia's video and discover the ways children benefit from her ministry.