Includes bibliographical references.

Preliminary Material / Jaya Earnest , Margie Beck and Lorraine Connell -- The Context and History of the Education Sector in Timor-Leste / Margie Beck -- Initial Steps in Rebuilding the Education Sector in Timor-Leste Following the September 1999 Crisis / Trina Supit -- Choosing Languages for Teaching in Primary School Classrooms / Marie Quinn -- First of its Kind: A Pre-service Graduate Programme for Primary School Teachers / Margie Beck -- Teaching the Arts to Pre-service Primary Teachers in Timor-Leste / Lorraine Connell -- An Overview of Health Issues in Timor-Leste / Hari Krishna Banskota -- Teachers’ Perceptions of Health Education in a Transitional Society: The Case of Timor-Leste / Jaya Earnest -- The Impact of Modern Pathology Services in Timor-Leste / Ruben David -- HIV Vulnerability Assessment and Migration Patterns in Timor-Leste / Jaya Earnest and Robert Finger -- Breaking the Chain of Intergenerational Malnutrition in Timor-Leste / Hari Krishna Banskota -- The Motivation, Impact and Challenges of Foreign Health Workers in Timor-Leste / Jude Comfort -- The Power of Narratives in Social Research / Kate Taylor -- Bullets on the Blackboard: A Narrative on Teacher Training in Timor-Leste / Crystell Halliday and Rosanne Simpkin -- A Journey through Post-Independence Timor-Leste: A Personal Narrative / Domingos de Oliveira and Jude Comfort -- Voices of the People and My Personal Perspective: A Case Study from Ermera District / Liam Barry -- We Have Miles to Go before We Rest The Road Ahead: Events of 2006/07 Timor-Leste / Margie Beck -- Biographies of Chapter Contributors / Jaya Earnest , Margie Beck and Lorraine Connell.

This book introduces and discusses a variety of educational and health issues and provides insights and glimpses into the broad political, economic and socio cultural contexts of education and health in Timor-Leste. Each chapter endeavours to provide detailed overviews of the context. The objective of the authors is to enable readers to have an understanding of the intricate, complex and synergistic connections amongst the underlying cultural, religious, economic and political arenas within the practices of health and education in the country. Part I of the book deals with issues of educational change in the country, the authors of the five chapters on Education Rebuilding have lived in the country for extended periods of time and been involved as practitioners in the educational change process. Part II explores the complex issue of health, nutrition and services in the nation, the authors of the six chapters represent an eclectic mix of practitioners and researchers who have experienced first hand the health rebuilding process and have knowledge of the country, its communities and its people. In Part III the editors have attempted to use narrative so that non-academic voices are heard in relation to change. The final three chapters thus bring forth the “voices” of the contributors and people in the community.

Texts are in English. Each paper is preceded by an abstract, also in English.