São Paulo – The government of Brazil is going to propose, at a meeting with ministers of Education of the Arab and South American countries, next week, in Kuwait City, the implementation of a university network in both regions. The idea was presented in May, during the 2nd South American Arab Culture Festival at the University of São Paulo (USP) and at a meeting in Kuwait, to take place on Tuesday (29) and Wednesday (30), Brazil should present the project of statutes for establishment of the network.
The meeting of ministers is part of the cooperation between Arab and South American countries, which started being put in practice after promotion of the Summit of South American-Arab Countries (Aspa), a meeting of heads of state of both regions, whose first edition took place in Brazil, in 2005. In Kuwait, the country will be represented by ambassador Roberto Abdalla, head of the delegation, and also by the Higher Education secretary at the Ministry of Education, Luiz Claudio Costa, and employees of the Brazilian diplomatic corps and of the ministry.
Initially, according to the Brazilian Foreign Office (Itamaraty), the network proposed by Brazil is turned to promotion of academic mobility between scholars and students in higher education institutions. The universities participating would offer positions in their graduate and post-graduate courses to which students in other institutions in the network could apply. Later, other possibilities could be explored, like joint research programs, activities turned to promotion of culture of the regions and organisations of post-graduate courses, according to demand.
To the Itamaraty, the initiative would allow the exchange of intellectual production of both regions and would stimulate mutual knowledge. It would also result in better living conditions for youths. There are also, according to the Itamaraty, Arab universities that are centres of reference in their areas and have great capacity for research investment, which would grant Brazil advantages in exchange with them. According to the Ministry of Foreign Relations, Brazilian institutions have been demonstrating growing interest in closer ties with the Arab world.
Brazil, as a regional coordinator in South America, should speak during the official opening of the event with ministers and the theme will be the Aspa University Network. The text of the proposal for the statutes has already been sent to the organizers of the event in Kuwait and it was requested that it be sent to all countries that participate in the Aspa. Apart from the network, other themes connected to education should also be discussed. After the meeting, a report and an action plan should be established to include the general lines of educational cooperation, alongside methods for development of actions and an implementation schedule.
*Translated by Mark Ament
