A/HRC/20/25/Add.1 people,45 Portuguese is the official medium of instruction in all primary and secondary schools. However, textbooks in Portuguese are scarce, and many teachers do not speak it fluently. While Tetum is taught in primary schools, difficulties arise in terms of the lack of written materials and dealing with different dialects. 43. Given these factors, it is unsurprising that Timor-Leste has poor education outcomes, low retention and high repetition rates. 46 Empirical data shows that children learn better in their mother tongue in the formative stages and early childhood education 47 and children are less likely to attend school if they are unable to understand their teachers or their materials. In order to respect the richness of linguistic and cultural diversity, international human rights principles hold that wherever possible, education policies should provide children with opportunities to have instruction in their mother tongue. 48 Linguistic difficulties in the education system, and particularly the inability of children to access education in their mother tongue or native language, also often results in exclusion from information and access to services (A/HRC/17/29 and Corr.1, para. 63). 44. Acknowledging the particular challenges that Timor-Leste faces, the Special Rapporteur calls on the Government to confront the challenges of language and education. The Special Rapporteur recognizes the investment by the Government in the eradication of illiteracy. Literacy programmes have been implemented in all 13 districts, yet benefit only approximately 10 per cent of the population. 49 She notes that a draft Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education policy and pilot programme are under consideration, and that differing opinions have been expressed on the matter. 45. A further issue which greatly affects youth is unemployment. The International Monetary Fund has estimated that about 15,000 to 16,000 young people enter the labour market each year; only 9,500 jobs are estimated to have been created during 2008 and 2009, despite increases in public spending and economic growth. 50 Studies show that the schoolto-work transition of young Timorese is hampered greatly by the lack of linkages between the training and education system and the commercial sector. In the absence of a comprehensive social security system, most youth in Timor-Leste have no choice but to enter the informal economy and subsistence farming, where earnings are low and unstable.51 46. In recent years, the Government has initiated several programmes to address the concerns of the youth population, particularly unemployment. A national youth policy has been adopted and a national youth fund is to be created to finance initiatives for youth groups and associations.52 The Special Rapporteur welcomes these policies, as well as the Government and Parliament’s commitment to youth training and integration into the work market, as expressed by the recent approval of the Timor-Leste National Training 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 Only 39.3 per cent of the population aged 15-24 are literate in Portuguese, and 77.8 per cent are literate in Tetum. With respect to the entire population over 15, 25.2 per cent are literate in Portuguese and 56.1 per cent in Tetum. See 2010 Census (note 7 above). Demographic and Health Survey, pp. 20-22. See report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to education (A/HRC/17/29 and Corr.1), para. 63. Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, art. 4, para. 3. Timor-Leste, Millennium Development Goals (note 8 above), pp. 11-12; UNDP, Timor-Leste Human Development Report, p. 47. World Bank, Independent Evaluation Group (IEG), Timor-Leste Country Program Evaluation 2000– 2010: Evaluation of World Bank Group Program (Washington D.C., 2011), pp. 42-43. Draft Timor-Leste National Youth Employment Action Plan 2009, p. 4. Strategic Development Plan, p. 52. 13