São Paulo – Tunisian universities of Carthage (UCAR) and Manouba (UMA) signed an agreement with Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCAR) in Brazil. The agreement foresees people and knowledge interchange in different areas between the institutions.
A Tunisian delegation visited UFSCAR recently, made up by UCAR president Olfa Sioud and UMA president Jouhaina Ghrib, as well as the professor Cherifa Lakhoua (left, photo above), MP Hospitality and Tourism Management Coordinator at UCAR Institute of Business Studies. The group signed the agreement with the Brazilian university president Wanda Hoffmann.
“With this agreement, we can carry out the interchange of students, professors and other professionals from various disciplines, but specially in the sectors of entrepreneurship, tourism and hospitality,” Lakhoua said to ANBA Monday (25) night. However, she also highlighted they are interested in cooperating in other areas such as biotechnology, chemistry, and renewable energies.
Tourism accounts for a large part of Tunisia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and is one of the main sources of foreign currency in that country, which has a large know-how in the area. UFSCAR offers a Tourism course in its campus in Sorocaba, outside São Paulo.
“Both [Tunisian] universities have the policy of diversifying its agreements around the world,” said Lakhoua. “We have several agreements with universities in Europe, but over the last three years or so we’ve started developing partnerships with more distant countries such as China, India, Canada, and United States, so why not South America? When we found a good connection, we do it,” she explained.
According to information from UFSCAR, the agreement allows for example that a student from the Brazilian institution take classes in the Tunisian universities for a year. The partnership goals include encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
