“There is great interest on the part of Brazilians, especially, in educational institutions with Portugal and in realizing what we did that led us to have some educational successes,” says Nuno Crato.
Former Minister of Education and Science Nuno Crato told Lusa that there is “great interest” from Brazil in education in Portugal and considered the arrival of Brazilians to Portuguese universities “very important”.
“There is a great interest on the part of Brazilians in general and, above all, in educational institutions with Portugal and in perceiving what we did that led us to have some educational successes”, considered Nuno Crato, in Brasilia, after having participated on Thursday, at the SESI SENAI International Education Seminar, which was also attended by the Brazilian Minister of Education, Camilo Santana.
To reinforce the argument that there is a “particular interest” in the Portuguese education system, the president of the Teresa and Alexandre Soares dos Santos Iniciativa Educação recalled having been “Frequently invited to Brazil to address these issues.”
Regarding the growing interest of Brazilian students, the former Minister of Education said that it was “very important for Portuguese universities”, recalling the period in which he held the position of Minister of Education and Science, a period in which he arrived “many times to talk with Brazilian universities to try to establish certification agreements”.
Brazil, he said, had a “very large scholarship program for Brazilian students to study abroad,” recalling, however, that former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff “cut Portugal” from that list.
Even so, data from the General Directorate of Education and Science Statistics (DGEEC) of the Ministry of Education show that, in the last five years, the demand of Brazilians to study in Portuguese universities increased by 123%.
“For us it is very important to have more students”, stressed Nuno Crato.
At this moment, there are more than 50 Portuguese universities that accept applications from Brazilians who have qualified in the National High School Exam in Brazil.
According to the DGEEC, more than 18,859 Brazilian students enrolled in higher education in Portugal in the last academic year.
“Our youth is diminishing a lot, on the one hand, on the other hand it is very important that our youth have contact with young people from other countries, that is, Brazilians”, concluded the former minister.
Source: Observadora
