Languages Canada, the association representing Canada’s 227 English and French accredited language education programs, awarded two English Without Borders scholarships last Thursday, Dec. 11, to Olivia Maria Santos de Lima and Miller Eliézer Cunha e Silva from the Universidade Federal de Uberlândia. The awards were presented by Gonzalo Peralta, Executive Director of Languages Canada, Denise Abreu e Lima, President of Languages Without Borders at the Brazilian Ministry of Education and Anna-Karine Asselin, Minister-Counsellor and Head of the Political Section at the Embassy of Canada, during the inaugural Languages Without Borders Congress in Brasilia, Brazil.
The four-week scholarship offers two graduate language education students from Brazil the opportunity to enhance their learning and research through exposure to Canadian English language education and culture. All costs —including educational material, food and travel-related expenses — are covered by Languages Canada and participating educational institutions. English Without Borders is part of Languages Without Borders, a clear-sighted language education initiative from the Brazilian Ministry of Education that aims to support internationalization efforts in education. To underscore the importance of the initiative, the Minister of Education, Henrique Paim Fernandes, attended the launch and addressed the audience of more than 500 Brazilian language education professionals and students.
Denise Abreu e Lima stated: “The event’s success exceeded our expectations. We are grateful to Languages Canada for their contribution and we very much look forward to further collaboration in the future.”
“We are very excited to offer this unique opportunity for Brazilian students to become fully immersed in the Canadian educational landscape and culture. This scholarship serves to underscore the importance of strong global ties and student mobility between Canada and Brazil and above all to express our support of Brazil’s leadership in language education policy and programming,” said Gonzalo Peralta, Executive Director of Languages Canada.
Brazil, an essential partner for Canada in all facets of international cooperation, is a priority partner for Canada’s International Education Strategy with the end goal of doubling the number of international students in Canada by 2022.
Anna-Karine Asselin, Minister-Counsellor and Head of the Political Section at the Embassy of Canada, stated: “Education is one of the pillars of the Canada-Brazil relationship. Being a bilingual country where English and French are official languages, Canada’s top quality language education has much to offer international students. Welcoming communities and diverse cultural activities contribute to make Canada an ideal destination to learn while traveling.”
Languages Canada is a not-for-profit association representing 227 language education member programs across Canada that offer accredited English and French programs from both the public and private sectors.
Website: languagescanada.ca
Twitter:@LangCanada
Facebook: facebook.com/languagescanada
For more information, please contact:
Sarah Snowdon
Communications Manager
ssnowdon@languagescanada.ca
