Шығыс Тимор Ұлттық Университеті: Тарихы мен дамуы

The National University of East Timor (UNTL; Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosa'e; Tetum: Universidade Nasionál Timór Lorosa'e), is a public university in East Timor, the only one of its kind in the country. Founded in 2000, as a result of the nation's independence, its history can be traced, through the Faculty of Education, to the Portuguese colonial period, when the first public higher schools prepared for teachers appeared. With six campuses, nine colleges and seven research centers, it is the largest Timorese university in terms of the number of students, university professors and budget. Forming the country's intellectual elite, it is also a national reference in teaching, research and extension, the tripods of higher education. In 2017, the university was classified by the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities as the best university in its country. It is a multilingual university, being the largest research center in Tetum, one of the two official languages of East Timor, but its classes are taught primarily in Portuguese. It has its headquarters in the city of Dili, the national capital.

Technical courses were based in a building in Becora, next to the Senior High School of Economics, and a campus in Hera, close to the University's Agriculture College. The Polytechnic provided Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, Civil Construction and Accountancy. Significant funding came from abroad to upgrade facilities and resources.

In September 1999 when the Indonesian military and militia rampaged through East Timor destroying vital infrastructure, the education system was a major target for destruction. This was known as the Scorched Earth Operation. The first buildings to be razed were resistance centers including the CNRT offices and student centers. Then the schools, colleges and the university were destroyed. Ninety five per cent of school buildings in East Timor were destroyed. The UNTIM and Polytechnic buildings in Dili and in Hera, as well as the Nurses Institute, were looted, smashed and burnt with little surviving the onslaught. University students fanned across the country before the referendum in 1999 to work for the vote for independence, many being killed in the violence that followed. After the destruction students again went to regional areas to teach classes in burnt out buildings to keep the children learning and the schools open. They also organized classes for tertiary students when no other education facilities were operational.

No funds had been budgeted for the university by UNTAET. Many of the former UNTIM and Polytechnic staff and students worked for a year with no pay to establish the university. Tight planning and active lobbying of donors by Dr Armindo Maia (acting rector and now Minister for Education, Youth and Cultural Affairs) and the then Minister for Education, Father Filomeno Jacob meant that the new university, despite its serious lack of resources, was able to commence teaching classes for 5,000 students and 1,500 bridging course students in November 2000. In September 2000, the cabinet allocated US$1.3 million to the university from East Timor's education budget. The new National University of Timor Lorosa'e (UNTL) is an amalgamation of the old UNTIM and Polytechnic. It has moved to the former Technical High School in central Dili. Buildings have been renovated by a local firm, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The 'Câmara Municipal Lisboa' (Lisbon Municipal Council) funded and renovated the Faculty of Education and Economics buildings. The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and the Japanese government are assisting the rebuilding of the agricultural campus and engineering school at Hera. Many bilateral donors have preferred to fund scholarships for East Timorese in their own countries or to fund short course training offered by the Civil Service Academy for public servants already employed by the Transitional Administration. The university opened for classes on November 17, 2000 — two months later than originally envisaged due to reconstruction activities and the lack of resources. Most of the buildings were being rebuilt. Few of the classrooms had any furniture. There were virtually no teaching or curriculum resources for the newly appointed teaching staff. There was no accessible library, no administrative infrastructure, no phone network, no IT system, no Internet, no photocopiers, no fax machines, no audio visual equipment or other basic teaching equipment. When the university opened, each faculty shared a bare classroom with a few old tables and chairs and a single secondhand computer.

The East Timorese student associations that had been formed on the UNTIM campus and within Indonesia (ETSSC, IMPETTU and RENETIL) became the mainstay of the pro independence campaign for the ballot and continued to be active afterwards. They have become key organizations of the East Timorese civil society. East Timorese students and academics played a vital role in the clandestine resistance. Many were subject to torture, arbitrary arrest, disappearance, rape and murder. Some joined the Falintil armed forces in the mountains. A clandestine student organisation was formed in 1997 (the East Timor Youth Solidarity Organization, OSK TL) to encourage non violent resistance against Indonesian occupation. RENETIL (Resistência Nacional dos Estudantes de Timor Leste) began as an organization of East Timorese students attending universities in Indonesia in 1988. Its work organizing the resistance led to many of its leaders being jailed. While RENETIL was clandestine, IMPETTU was a legal organisation for East Timorese students in Indonesia. In 1997, Indonesian military opened fire at UNTIM, causing damage to the university building and wounding some students. Many were arrested. Students began to speak up, writing protest letters to the UN and the international community demanding an independent investigation. In June 1998, 17 days after Soeharto resigned, the East Timor Students Solidarity Council (ETSSC) was formed as an open body representing the views of UNTIM students, academics and high school students. ETSSC focused on empowering ordinary East Timorese in political and community development. The Council organised public meetings, demonstrations and dialogues. When the UN mission arrived in East Timor in mid 1999, the Students Solidarity Council set up regional offices in all of East Timor's thirteen regions. Over 3,000 students established regional education centres and disseminated information about human rights and conducted voter education, often in areas too remote to be reached by the United Nations. Many ETSSC students were attacked and at times killed by Indonesian military and pro integration militia. Since the ballot and the devastation in 1999, members have been involved in community activities including teaching in primary schools, providing capacity building workshops and community study groups, and rebuilding secondary schools. ETSSC's Student Resource Centre (SRC) provided language and computer skills training, Tetum training for NGO workers, social, cultural and environmental research and media monitoring projects for the many tertiary students who had their education interrupted. ETSSC, IMPETTU and RENETIL continue to work to secure a democratic future for East Timor through education and training, community development, participation in the election process and other nation building programs.