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EMI courses in Brazil grow to more than 1,000

(Posted on Sep 25, 2018 by Viggo Stacey)

Agrowing number of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Brazil are recognising the importance of offering English as Medium of Instruction courses, as the number of EMI courses rose from 671 in 2016 to over 1,000 in the first semester 2018, according to a new report.

(Photo: gabyps/Pixabay)

The Brazilian Association for International Education (FAUBAI) and the British Council, which surveyed 84 HEIs in Brazil, said the data reflects the sustained growth in activities offered in English as well as Portuguese for foreigners.

“Internationalisation is growing and increasing in the whole country and it's on the agenda of all universities,” explained Renata Archanjo, UFRN international relations deputy officer. “We are a country [that is becoming] more and more globalised.” 

Executive director of FAUBAI Renée Zicman highlighted that of Brazil's 2,400 HEIs, many do not offer international activities, but that number is increasing and the organisation has been promoting the internationalisation of the country's universities.

“We have been [telling] universities that by offering opportunities in English [they will] be able to receive international students,” she said, adding that it is important to point out that EMI courses are being offered in all five regions of the country, including the Amazon region.

“Our universities are very concentrated in certain regions of the country, but we have all sorts of universities and HEIs doing this in all regions of the country, public and private. It means the whole system has understood.

“The idea is not just to offer opportunities to take classes in English or participate in activities in English, but also to be able to live in this beautiful country and be able to share Brazilian culture and learn Portuguese,” Zicman added. […]

(Adapted from: https://thepienews.com/news/over-1000-emi-courses-in-brazil-in-2018/ Accessed on Oct 1 , 2020)