Luanda, April 15 (RHC) -- Higher education institutions will focus cooperation between Angola and Cuba in this area, according to the strategy defended today by the Angolan Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation.

Angola's Secretary of State for Higher Education, Dr. Eugénio Alves da Silva, explained to Prensa Latina that as of the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2023, the possibility of direct actions between centers of both countries without the mediation of the Ministry is foreseen.

Each institution, through the creation of associations with Cuban entities, can establish agreements for the hiring of teachers and the realization of joint scientific research projects, he said.

He added that a bilateral technical committee has been created between the two countries, which has the task of boosting the individual partnership actions of the Angolan centers with similar ones on the island, according to the resources that each one has to develop teaching and research.

The official pointed out that the country has for many years had professionals from the Caribbean nation teaching in public universities and other entities, based on the cooperation agreement in force.

However, he said that the Ministry's strategy is to reduce the presence of the Cuban contingent, as they can replace them with national teachers.

He recalled that in 2020, 1,35 thousand higher education teachers from the island were working in Angola, a figure that currently stands at 620.

He commented that recently President João Lourenço authorized a budget for the renewal of contracts with teachers from the Caribbean nation, but the trend is towards a gradual reduction so that Angolan professionals can enter the country and not increase the debt with Cuba.

He said that Cuban personnel have always worked, as part of their functions, in the training of national teachers, to whom they transmit their experience and knowledge.

Angola aspires to reach by 2027 with 50% of the university staff with Master's degrees and 14% with PhDs. To this end, the Ministry is implementing actions to strengthen and accelerate the training of scientific researchers, teachers and future professionals.

The country graduates around 29 thousand university students each year and the purpose is to increase the figure and reach 35 thousand, while they also expect to expand and diversify the portfolio of postgraduate courses to more than 270.