Escola Secundária Técnica-Vocacional Combatentes e Veteranos
| Escola Secundária Técnica-Vocacional Combatentes e Veteranos | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
Rua Pouzada Postu Antigu , | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private vocational secondary school |
| Established | 29 November 2015 |
| Teaching staff | 23 (2019) |
| Grades | 10–12 |
| Enrollment | 205 (2019) |
| Website | Official Facebook page |
Escola Secundária Técnica-Vocacional Combatentes e Veteranos (ESTV-COVEM) is a private technical-vocational secondary school in Same, Manufahi Municipality, Timor-Leste. Established in 2015, the school is affiliated with a local veterans' association and has 205 students in grades 10–12 as of 2019. The school is located in a Portuguese-era building and was the site of a massacre in January 1976 in which Fretilin killed around 30 political prisoners during the early stages of the Indonesian invasion of East Timor.
History
ESTV-COVEM's building dates to the Portuguese colonial period, when it functioned as Same's primary school.[1] Following the Indonesian invasion of East Timor in December 1975, the nationalist party Fretilin used the school to hold political prisoners who were members of the pro-Indonesian Timorese Popular Democratic Association (Apodeti) and conservative Timorese Democratic Union (UDT) parties.[2] As Fretilin forces retreated south from Maubisse to Same in late December 1975, they marched 300-400 detainees with them, who were divided into groups based on Fretilin's assessment of their threat level.[2] The "most dangerous" prisoners were held in an underground cell at a local government building, while those considered less dangerous were held at the Same primary school.[2]
By late January 1976, the Indonesian forces were closing in on Fretilin's position in Same from both the north and south.[2] On 28 January 1976, 34 detainees were transferred from nearby Holarua to Same, where they joined 10 other prisoners in the primary school building.[2] The next morning, 11 prisoners were taken from the school in a vehicle; suspecting they were about to be executed, they broke free of the rope binding them and jumped out.[2] Nine of the detainees managed to escape, while two others were killed in the attempt.[2] Angered by the escape, on 29 January 1976, Fretilin official César Maulaka stormed into the school with three men who began firing on the prisoners.[1][2] After their ammunition ran out, three more men began firing on the crowd, and then another three.[2] Before leaving, they threw a grenade into the room.[2] Around 30 people were killed in the massacre, with only four survivors who managed to escape by jumping out of windows.[1][2] In 2023, the school building was designated as a historical site by the Centro Nacional Chega![1]
ESTV-COVEM was established on 29 November 2015.[3] On 2 June 2020, the school received its operational license from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport.[4] In 2020, Nobel Peace Prize and future President of Timor-Leste José Ramos-Horta visited the school.[5]
Campus
ESTV-COVEM is located in the town of Same in Rialau aldeia (sub-village), Letefoho suco, Same Administrative Post.[4] In 2019, the school building was reported to be in poor condition, with rotting, collapsing ceilings, holes in the roof and walls, a lack of electricity and running water, and no books.[6] Some of the classrooms on the campus have been unusable since the school's founding, with only six classrooms in usable condition.[6] Due to the poor condition of the roof and ceilings, water often enters the classrooms during wet season.[6]
Governance
ESTV-COVEM is a private school run by a local veterans' association.[6] It has an operational license from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport to provide technical-vocational secondary education.[4] Though it is private, its campus is a state-owned property and the government has supported the school by providing tables and chairs.[6]
Academics
ESTV-COVEM is a technical-vocational school for students in grades 10, 11, and 12.[4] It offers three course tracks: tourism and hospitality, civil construction, and information technology.[6] In 2019, the tourism and hospitality program faced challenges, with students having to bring their own materials from home.[6]
As of 2019, the school had 205 students and 23 teachers, all of whom held bachelor's degrees.[4]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Sítiu Istóriku: Masakre Salaun Eskola Primaria Same. Historical Marker. 2023. Same, Manufahi. Centro Nacional Chega!
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "7.1 Unlawful Killings and Enforced Disappearances" (PDF). Chega! The final report of the Timor-Leste Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation. Jakarta: KPG. 2013. pp. 51–55. ISBN 9789799106476.
- ^ "Parabéns Ba Uma Mahon Escola ESTV-COVEM". Ensino Secundário Técnico Vocacional Combatentes e Veteranos Manufahi (in Tetum). 2025-11-30. Retrieved 2026-03-07 – via Facebook.
- ^ a b c d e "Despacho Ministerial n.º 046/MEJD/V/2020: Concede Licença Operacional à Escola Secundária Técnico – Vocacional Covem Same" (PDF). Jornal da República. II (in Portuguese) (21): 522. 2020-06-05. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
- ^ Salman Scdj (2020-11-13). Lauriadu novel da paz Dr. José Ramos Horta visita Eskola (ESTV-COVEM) Same Manufahi [Nobel Prize laureate Dr. José Ramos Horta visits ESTV-COVEM School Same Manufahi] (Video) (in Tetum). Retrieved 2026-03-07 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b c d e f g Freitas, Domingos Piedade (2019-10-31). "Infraestrutura ESTV-COVEM La Konduzivu" [ESTV-COVEM Infrastructure not Conducive [to Learning]]. TATOLI Agência Noticiosa de Timor-Leste (in Tetum). Retrieved 2026-03-07.