In early February this year another group of 42 East Timorese students came to Brazil to attend undergraduate and masters studies.
There are some Brazilian universities which have established partnerships with educational institutions of Timor, particularly with the National University of Timor Lorosae. These partnerships, which are fostered by the governments of Brazil and East Timor, fall within the guidelines of the Brazilian Foreign Policy to help East Timor and, specifically, to strengthen the South-South cooperation and cooperation with Portuguese-speaking countries (under the CPLP – Community of Portuguese Language Countries).
8.3.13 – In early February this year another group of 42 East Timorese students came to Brazil to attend undergraduate and masters studies. There are some Brazilian universities which have established partnerships with educational institutions of Timor, particularly with the National University of Timor Lorosae. These partnerships, which are fostered by the governments of Brazil and East Timor, fall within the guidelines of the Brazilian Foreign Policy to help East Timor and, specifically, to strengthen the South-South cooperation and cooperation with Portuguese-speaking countries (under the CPLP – Community of Portuguese Language Countries). So Brazil has been cooperating for decades, whether in institutional reconstruction, through education and training of young people of Timor.
East Timorese students at the State University of Paraiba (UEPB), Brazil
As a result of these partnerships in 2012 69 students from Timor-Leste have come to the federal state of Ceará in Brazil who matriculated in the University of International Integration of African-Brazilian Lusophony (Unilab). Each student from Timor received a grant of $ 500 for housing, food and transportation. The Unilab, created in 2010 by then President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, is an institution of higher education of the Brazilian government and which aims to sign agreements of cooperation with the Portuguese-speaking countries. It represents one of the first great Brazilian experiences in cultural and educational exchange among Portuguese-speaking countries.
Also at the State University of Paraíba (UEPB) this year 23 Timorese students started undergraduate and postgraduate studies. This is the result of a cooperation protocol established in April 2012 between the Ministry of Education of the Democratic Republic of East Timor and UEPB, in order to assist that country in its post War reconstruction process.
The Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) on 13 February this year welcomed for the first time eleven fellows of Timor-Leste, to study English and attend graduate school.
After receiving lessons in Portuguese, Brazilian culture and information technology in their country, through a Program for Qualification for Teachers and Portuguese Language (PQLP), the students come to the University seeking to specialize in different areas of their graduation. Despite knowing the basics of the language, they still need support which UFSC seeks to offer with these classes. The Timorese say that even with what they learned in East Timor, it is very difficult to adapt to the language in Brazil and contact with Brazilians will greatly assist them.
The PQLP annually sends 50 teachers with the aim of training teachers in Portuguese in that Asian country. The project is coordinated in partnership with the UFSC and, on 26 February this year, teachers went to Timor-Leste for the seventh time to represent the University. PQLP is a partnership between CAPES (Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel) of Brazil, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, of Brazil, and the Government of East Timor.
LSG – Lusophone Society of Goa
