Pedagogues of possibility? The politics, policies and practices of curriculum reform in post-conflict Timor-Leste

Abstract

Following independence in 2002, Timor-­‐Leste quickly embarked on a process of curriculum reform. Reform was predicated on three main goals: (1) improving the quality and relevance of schooling; (2) assisting the state in achieving long-­‐term development goals; and (3) acculturating future generations into a new socially cohesive national identity. Yet, a long line of research indicates the translation from curriculum intentions to changed practices is ridden with interpretation and contestation. School-­‐ based actors are often the key intermediaries in negotiating the uncertainties, paradoxes or dilemmas embedded in such reforms, and as such have a large part to play in what results. These actors, as the thesis identifies, are influenced by and are influencing a set of material, cultural and social conditions that are the product of the country’s colonial past and current status as a conflict-­‐affected and fragile state (CAFS). Following independence, they (re)entered the workforce complete with antecedent beliefs, paradigms and discourses on what ‘good teaching’ represents, and on the broader purpose and role of schooling in society. They were differentially motivated by a variety of factors—economic, political and professional in nature—to become and remain teachers. Almost immediately, they were confronted with a rapid succession of new policy statements on what constituted appropriate knowledge, teaching and pedagogy in the new Timor-­‐Leste. While such statements were rich in their symbolic promise of a schooling experience that was distinct and disconnected from the past, a combination of inconsistent political will, strong external involvement/influence, and insufficient internal capacity has led to the implementation of reforms that are discursively rich but subsantitively poor. Founded on a critical realist ontological and epistemological research approach, and supported through critical ethnographic research methods, this thesis explores the ways in which school actors in Timor-­‐Leste position themselves and act on their beliefs, motivations and tendencies in light of current structural conditions and constraints. What this thesis finds is that the outcomes and practices produced are neither a straightforward reproduction of the prior colonial education system, nor the aspirational goals of current reform agendas. They represent a creative mediation of personal and political, past and present.