Through the agreement, the University will host graduate students who work as professors in the African country.

Published: May 20, 2024 Updated: May 24, 2024, at 20:44 By Michel Sitnik

Carla Caomba from the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Higher Education of Mozambique, and Fausto Almeida from the Vice-Rector’s Office for Graduate Studies at USP, celebrate the new agreement between the institutions – Photo: Cecilia Bastos/USP Images.

Researchers from all 56 Mozambican universities will be eligible to apply, and to ensure the effectiveness of their exchanges, the funding for the scholarships will be provided by the Institute for Scholarships (IBE) of the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Higher Education (MCTES) of Mozambique, an equivalent body to the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) in Brazil. All selected candidates will be graduate students who work as teachers in Mozambique.

Rodrigo Calado, Vice-Rector for Graduate Studies at USP, explains that this agreement arose from work initiated within the Faculty of Education (FE) at USP and will now take on a new dimension: “An opportunity to expand and consolidate this collaboration was identified, and the government of Mozambique showed great interest in qualifying its teaching staff at USP by offering scholarships to those admitted to our graduate programs. It is an action that brings our countries closer together, brings greater diversity to our student body, and is an important internationalization initiative,” he emphasizes.

IBE Director-General Carla Caomba participated in the signing of the agreement, held at the Rectory building: “For us, this is a historic moment. With this instrument, we will have the opportunity to enable more Mozambicans, especially teachers from our schools, to have a high-level education at an institution like USP, which is globally recognized. Therefore, it is also a moment of great responsibility, and I am sure that there will be great interest and enthusiasm among Mozambicans for this exchange.”

Faculdade de Direito (Faculty of Law) will help train doctors to work at Mozambican universities Angolan researchers selected to pursue postgraduate studies at USP

Rachida Mamade, Deputy National Director of Planning, Statistics, and Cooperation at MCTES, who was also present at the signing, assessed the role this approach will have in raising the educational level of researchers: “Today, we have a very large gap in education in terms of the number of doctors in our country. By strengthening these ties with USP, we are very pleased because we see a great opportunity here to increase our research and innovation capacity. From now on, we are starting a new phase of technical work to effectively have our teachers present at a university that is among the best in the world,” she said.

The Office for Graduate Studies (PRPG) at USP was represented by Fausto Bruno dos Reis Almeida, a professor at the Faculty of Medicine in Ribeirão Preto (FMRP) and advisor to the PRPG, who celebrated the importance of the partnership: “This agreement represents a significant milestone for USP, Brazil, and Mozambique, strengthening the ties between these nations that share a rich cultural heritage. USP is deeply committed to collaborating to promote excellence in education, especially in the field of postgraduate studies. In addition to driving scientific advancement, our goal is to host outstanding researchers, equipping them to return to Mozambique with a solid academic background.”

Also present at the signing ceremony were Agnaldo Arroio, President of the International Cooperation Commission at FE, and Valdir Barzotto, President of the Commission in the previous administration, one of those responsible for the initial negotiations that led to the current agreement.

(From left to right) Valdir Barzotto, Rachida Mamade, Carla Caomba, and Fausto Almeida at the signing ceremony of the agreement between USP and the government of Mozambique – Photo: Cecília Bastos/USP Images.