The Mozambican government is studying Brazil's experience with the Student Financing Fund (Fies) in order to improve its own scholarship programme, known as the Scholarship Loan Programme (PBE). This interest arose after a meeting held on Tuesday, 2 April, at which members of Mozambique's Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, including Juma Muteliha, deputy director-general of the Scholarship Institute (IBE), and Amélia Zandamela, first secretary at the Mozambican Embassy in Brasília, were received by representatives of Brazil's Ministry of Education (MEC).
The meeting focused on exchanging experience and knowledge about student financing, with the aim of tackling educational challenges in Mozambique and promoting equitable access to higher education. During the visit, Adilson Santana de Carvalho, general coordinator of Higher Education Policies at the MEC, presented an overview of the programmes for access to higher education in Brazil, including Fies and the University for All Programme (Prouni), and discussed possible initiatives that could be useful to Mozambique.
The meeting allowed an in-depth discussion of various aspects of financing programmes, such as eligibility criteria, the selection process, loan repayment conditions and models of agreement with financial institutions. The monitoring of beneficiaries' academic and professional progress after graduation was also addressed.
The Mozambican delegation also plans to visit universities and research centres in Brazil to continue the exchange of experience and learn more about the management of scholarships. With 3,149 students under the IBE's coordination, of whom 48.1% are outside Mozambique and 51.9% in the country, the initiative aims to strengthen the Mozambican academic community and broaden opportunities for its students.
