Council of Ministers Meeting on April 18, 2012

IV CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT SECRETARY OF STATE OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS

PRESS RELEASE

Council of Ministers Meeting on April 18, 2012

The Council of Ministers met this Wednesday, April 18, 2012 in the Council of Ministers meeting room, at the Government Palace, Díli, and approved:

1. Decree-Law that approves the Statutes of the General Inspectorate of the Ministry of Education

The General Inspectorate of Education, as provided in the Organic Law of the Ministry of Education, is a service under direct administration of the Ministry of Education with strategic relevance not only in support of the disciplinary control of teachers and staff in the education sector but also to support the fiscal and administrative supervision of the implementation of educational policies in relation to schools and quality education.

The government thus regulates this important service of monitoring the administrative activities of the education sector to ensure the necessary coordination with the legislation in force concerning the Civil Service Statute, the Inspector General of the State, the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Public Service Commission.

2. Decree-Law that approves the legal regime of an accreditation and evaluation system of preschool, primary and secondary school education

This decree aims to provide the education sector's legal framework for an accreditation and evaluation system for education and non-higher education, and will be carried out under specific regulations for different types of intervention.

Therefore, a consistent set of standards to define the mechanisms of accreditation and evaluation of preschool and elementary educational institutions is hereby established, whether the institutions are public, private, or cooperative, and taking into account reasonable limits for the adaptation of already existing and functioning institutions.

It is essential to ensure the quality, coherence and consistency of the educational system with this system of accreditation and evaluation.

3. Government Resolution that establishes the Academy of Arts and Creative Cultural Industries in Timor-Leste

According to the National Policy on Culture, approved by the Council of Ministers in September 2009, "the creation of an Academy of Arts and Creative Culture Industries corresponds to the Government's perspective that artistic work is key to cementing the values of freedom and critical for solidarity and pluralism in Timorese society. The existence of an Academy of Arts and Creative Culture Industries will develop technical and artistic training and also work as a focal point for research on the arts in Timor-Leste".

It is the responsibility of the State to protect and enhance cultural heritage as a means of democratizing access to culture and as a key element in the consolidation of identity and sovereignty. Whereas the teaching and promotion of the arts should always be performed with the ultimate objective of achieving a just and egalitarian society, promoting cultural diversity as a fundamental humanitarian principle and development, the Government recognizes that it is the Secretariat of State for Culture’s duty to ensure the legal framework essential for the establishment of the future Timor-Leste Academy of Arts and Creative Culture Industries.

The approval of the strategic and regulatory approaches to teaching the arts in Timor-Leste, as a fundamental tool of the defense and consolidation of national unity and identity, will be embodied in a strategic document and in the statutes of the future Academy, currently under preparation.

4. Government Resolution that approves the National Policy for Inclusion and Promotion of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The National Policy for Inclusion and Promotion of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities defines the areas of intervention and strategies of each government department and government agency in order to ensure the full participation of disabled people in the community.

This policy thus seeks to eliminate forms of discrimination based on disability to ensure effective compliance with the rights of persons with disabilities and full participation within the family and community.

It is recalled that in 2010 the Government established a multidisciplinary working group to study and develop a draft on a National Policy on Disability, which resulted in this document, now approved by the Council of Ministers.

5. Decree-Law that approves the transition Regime of State Social Security

Following the approval of the Transitional Regime of Social Security for old age, invalidity and death for State workers last February, this law defines the procedures for payment of pensions under the scheme, which represents the start of operation of a social security system in Timor-Leste.