Mark Dodd, Dili – East Timor is facing an acute shortage of qualified teachers, with teacher-pupil ratios in some schools as high as 100 to one, according to the country's independence leader, Mr Xanana Gusmao.

Mr Gusmao said teacher staffing levels were unacceptably low and warned that teacher salaries would have to be cut from $US123 ($230) a month to $80 for primary school teachers and from $150 to $110 for secondary school teachers so that savings could be used to employ more teachers.

Already many teachers have left the profession to accept better paid jobs with foreign aid agencies or the United Nations working as translators and office workers. One former Portuguese language teacher said she quit to work as a barmaid at the Turismo Hotel because of a bigger salary.