Rosária Maria Corte-Real (also Rosalia Maria Corte-Real)^[1] was the Minister of Education and Culture in East Timor from 2006 to 2007. She was also responsible for youth and sports. She is a member of FRETILIN.

Corte-Real grew up in Ainaro, where her father was chief of the village (Portuguese: Chefe de Suco) during the Portuguese Timor period.^[2] In 1965, Corte-Real completed primary school in Same (Manufahi).^[3] Between 1966 and 1970 she then attended secondary and technical training school the Escola de Professores do Posto Escolar (Post School Teachers' School) in Canto Rezende, Dili.^[3] Corte-Real was then principal of primary schools in Bobonaro (1970 to 1971),^[3] Bazartete (1971 to 1972),^[3] Hato-Udo (1973 to 1974),^[3] and Bidau, a suburb of Dili (1975),^[3] the year of the Indonesian invasion of East Timor.

From 1980 to 1981, Corte-Real participated in a teachers' training course in Dili,^[3] followed by further training to obtain a teaching license at the IKIP Sanata Dharma in Yogyakarta, Java from 1985 to 1989.^[3] In 1990, she became head of the Teachers' Section of the Department of Education and Culture, Dili.^[3] From 1997 to 1999, she earned a master's degree in public administration at Gajah Mada University in Yogyakarta.^[2][3]

Under the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor following the 1999 East Timorese independence referendum, Corte-Real was elected an MP for Ainaro District for the FRETILIN party in the transitional constituent assembly, on 30 August 2001.^[2][3] She was a member of the Thematic Committee I and the Systematisation and Harmonisation Committee, which contributed to the development of East Timor's Bill of Rights.^[4] When East Timor became independent in 2002, the assembly became the National Parliament of East Timor, and Corte-Real was elected secretary of the parliament.^[2]
In the government sworn in in July 2005, Corte-Real was appointed Vice Minister of Primary and Secondary Education,^[5][6] in order to provide support to the Minister of Education at a time of conflict between church and state.^[7] In the next government formed in 2006, Corte-Real became the Minister of Education and Culture,^[2][8] replacing Armindo Maia. She retained that office until the election in June 2007.^[9] Her successor as minister was João Câncio Freitas.