Isaura Daniel*
São Paulo – The Brazilian minister of Education, Fernando Haddad, is going to travel to Lebanon at the end of this month, where he is going to sign, with the local government, an education agreement. The Brazilian minister, who will be in the Arab country between February 26 and 27, is also going to visit the Syrian capital, Damascus, on February 28. The trip to both countries is part of a trip to the Middle East that also includes a visit to Israel.
According to information supplied by a spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, the agreement to be singed in Lebanon forecasts the teaching of Arabic, Portuguese, History, Literature and Archaeology of the other country in Lebanese and Brazilian universities. The program is the result of talks started by former minister of Education, Tarso Genro, during the Summit of South American – Arab Countries, in Brazilian capital Brasília, in May last year.
Apart from the talks that took place during the meeting, the former minister also received, last year, a group of Arab ambassadors to discuss actions to bring both regions closer together in the area of education. According to a spokesperson for the Ministry, Haddad himself had meetings with the Lebanese ambassador in Brasília, Fouad El Khoury, so as to discuss the matter. Haddad is a Lebanese descendent.
On the 26th, the Brazilian minister is going to inaugurate a public library in the city of Ainata, about 100 kilometres away from Beirut. On the following day he will meet with the Lebanese minister of Education, Khaled Qabbani, when he should sign the cooperation program and then visit the University of Beirut.
In Damascus, on the 28th, Fernando Haddad is also going to meet with the country minister of Education, Ali Saad, and visit the University of Damascus. The meeting with both authorities, according to the Brazilian minister, will aim at closer ties. On the March 01 he will be in Tel Aviv.
Haddad is travelling to the Middle East accompanied by the president of the Confederation for Improvement of Higher Education Students (Capes), Jorge Guimarães. The organization, connected to the ministry, is responsible for post-graduate courses (masters and doctorates) in Brazil. According to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, a large part of the sponsoring activities scheduled in the program to be signed in Lebanon will take place in the area of post-graduate studies. For this reason, Jorge Guimarães will be accompanying the minister.
The Ministry of Education signed, in January this year, an agreement for cooperation in the area of higher education, research and technology with another Arab country: Tunisia. According to the agreement, signed during the visit by the minister of Foreign Affairs of Tunisia, Abdelawahab Abdallah, to Brazil, the countries engaged themselves, among other actions, in providing incentives for universities to establish agreements for the exchange of professors, organizing scientific journeys and missions by researchers.
*Translated by Mark Ament
