DILI, 19 august 2023 (TATOLI)-In order to promote the magister program in literature that had just begun , the National University of Timor Lorosa’e (UNTL) – the Timorese public university, and the Universidade de Santa Catarina, Brazil, signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The MoU is signed by the Rector of UNTL, João Martins Soares, and the Ambassador of Brazil to Timor-Leste, Mauricio Medeiros Assis, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation in Praia dos Coqueiros, Dili.
Ambassador of Brazil to Timor-Leste, Mauricio Medeiros Assis, said with this signing of the MoU, Brazil, through the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, will send a few lecturers to support the program of magister of literature in UNTL. Besides that, Brazil will, together with UNTL’s lecturers, conduct research in the area of education, aiming to strengthen the quality of education in Timor-Leste.
“Timor-Leste needs qualified human resources in the area of education and the relevant sectors; therefore, this cooperation is for preparing the human resources that are qualified to contribute to the process of development in Timor-Leste,” Ambassador Brazil stated.
The diplomat added that with this cooperation, there will be a mutual benefit where UNTL lecturers will conduct a comparative study in the Universidade de Federal de Santa Catarina in the area of education, which can be further applied in UNTL to prepare the human resources that are qualified to contribute to the quality of education in Timor-Leste.
Likewise, the Rector of UNTL, João Martins Soares, on behalf of the Government of Timor-Leste and UNTL, thanked the Government of Brazil and the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, which had conducted the cooperation in the area of literature at UNTL.
“With the program of Magister of Literature in UNTL, we will facilitate the candidate of a master’s in literature and no need to go to the overseas university but just study in UNTL, thus reducing the fee of the university and also conducting qualified research in contributing to education in Timor-Leste,” he claimed.
The rector of a public university informed that the program of Magister of Literature has been opened with the aim of producing human resources to teach the students of UNTL in the future.
Meanwhile, the Magister program of literature recently had 33 students who had completed the learning process since June up to now and were mentored by some lecturers from Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina during their 2 years in Timor-Leste.
It’s recalled that in 2022, UNTL also had the cooperation of Mackenzie Presbyterian University from Brazil in opening the program of magister in the area of Portuguese. “Hopefully, from this cooperation, UNTL will prepare the quality of human resources to contribute to the process of development in Timor-Leste”.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Rafael Ximenes de A. Belo