Juliana Andrade
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Brasília - Brazilian teachers are helping train teachers in East Timor and São Tomé and Principe. Through technical cooperation, Brazil is sharing with these countries its experience with the Ministry of Education's Working Teachers Training Program (ProFormação).

The program permits first to fourth-grade fundamental school teachers who did not finish high school to complete their studies and receive pedagogical orientation at the same time. In São Tomé and Principe, Brazilian instructors have already trained 77 local teachers. In East Timor the first 100 participants in the program are slated to graduate in August, 2007.

Besides these countries, Guinea-Bissau is also interested in a partnership with Brazil, according to Luciane Sá de Andrade, coordinator of the ProFormação. Yesterday (29), at the opening of the International Encounter of ProFormação Instructors, the minister of Education, Fernando Haddad, said that the interest that has been aroused demonstrates other countries' recognition of the Brazilian model.

Translation: David Silberstein