Researchers from FPCEUP and FADEUP took part in the 3rd UNTL Conference, strengthening academic and educational ties with East Timor

On 6 and 7 May 2025, Teresa Silva Dias, a CIIE researcher and coordinator of the Observatory of Sport, Education and Community (ODEC), and Paula Batista, a lecturer at FADEUP, took part in the 3rd Physical Education and Sport Conference at the National University of Timor Lorosa'e (UNTL) in Dili. The trip was part of the Merging Voices 2025 mobility programme, promoted by FPCEUP.

Organised by the Department of Physical Education and Sport of UNTL's Faculty of Education, Arts and Humanities (FEAH), the event brought together academics, students and professionals in the field of sport and education to share and reflect on the challenges and opportunities in the field of teacher training and community development through sport.

The researchers took part in various aspects of the programme: they presented papers, took part in round tables and organised open classes involving Timorese students and teachers. Among the topics covered were the initial training of Physical Education teachers, socio-educational inclusion and social transformation through sport, with an emphasis on its role in contexts of vulnerability and in promoting local development. 

The mission also included institutional and educational visits to Timorese schools, promoting direct dialogue with students, teachers and school communities, and strengthening cooperation that is more sensitive to local realities and based on reciprocity. 

The researchers were also welcomed by several relevant figures from the Timorese educational and political scene: the Minister of Education of East Timor, Dr Dulce de Jesus Soares; the Rector of UNTL, Professor João Soares Martins; the Dean of FEAH, Professor Teodoro Soares; and Dr Judite Dias Ximenes, UNTL's advisor on gender issues, in conjunction with UN Women.

These meetings underlined the institutional recognition of the importance of international cooperation in the field of education, science and sport.