PANAJI: Goa University (GU) has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the ministry of foreign affairs of Brazil to promote the study of Brazilian Portuguese language and literature at the varsity.
As per the MoU signed through the consulate general of Brazil based in Mumbai, a lecturer in Brazilian Portuguese language, with at least a postgraduate degree, will be appointed at GU’s department of Portuguese and Lusophone studies. GU is already among the rare varsities in the country to offer a postgraduate programme in Portuguese, which attracts students from different parts of India.
Now an expert in Brazilian Portuguese language, literature, Brazilian culture and social studies will be based at university. The MoU will be for an initial period of two years, which may be extended later, and the areas of cooperation are also likely to be expanded in the future.
The ministry in Brazil will take the responsibility of selecting the lecturer as per GU’s requirement and also bear the expenditure for payment of the scholarship to the lecturer appointed at Goa. The varsity will be providing the accommodation facilities to the lecturer.
The understanding states that the varsity will ‘include the lecturer in extensive research groups in order to expand the cooperation between Brazil and the GU in the studies developed by such institutions’. GU has been told to provide the lecturer with opportunities to assist students of masters and doctoral level in their thesis and research work.