Mr. Heile outlined the focus of GIZ and MAFF to strengthen
and upgrade agriculture extension services in Timor-Leste and help
elevate the status of agricultural education through their agricultural
schools. Ms. Beate Herrmann of Rural Development Program, GIZ, stated
that they were keen to help in training of extension workers. “Teachers
from universities are often very theoretical and this creates a
mismatch in theory and practice,” she remarked.
Mr. Hipolito da Costa, Director of Agriculture Technical Training,
MAFF expressed his Ministry’s interest in custom-tailored training
courses. He also took the opportunity to learn more about AIT’s
Aquaculture and Aquatic Resources Management (AARM) field of study,
where he was impressed with both the aquaculture facilities as well as
the availability of Portuguese language capacity in AARM. He also met
Dr. Abha Mishra, Senior Research Specialist, School of Environment,
Resources and Development (SERD), who informed Mr. Costa regarding the
ongoing efforts of FAO and AIT in providing technical and capacity
building support in Timor-Leste.
Mr. Hans Joakim Guttman, Coordinator, Wetland Alliance Programme (WAP)
outlined the success of AIT’s Poverty Reduction and Agricultural
Management (PRAM) program. The delegation also discussed the principles
and approaches of PRAM as an appropriate framework for agricultural
education in Timor-Leste with Mr. Guttman and Dr. Theo Wilhelm Ebbers,
Coordinator, Aqua Outreach Program.
The delegation also met Prof. Said Irandoust, President, AIT; Prof.
Sudip Kumar Rakshit, Vice President – Research; Dr. Jonathan Shaw,
Director, AIT Extension; Dr. Pritam Krishna Shrestha, Head, External
Relations and Communications Office (ERCO); Dr. Peeyush Soni, Senior
Instructor, SERD; Md. Zakir Hossain, Head, Agriculture, Resources and
Environment, AIT Extension; Mr. Voravate Chonlasin, Head, Public Sector
Capacity Building, AIT Extension; Ms. Shalini Mitra, Program Officer,
AIT Extension; and Ms. Tiamkare Thitithamtada, Program Officer,
ERCO.
