Luanda — The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation intends to strengthen partnership with the Episcopal Conference of Angola and São Tomé (CEAST) to improve the quality of teaching and scientific research.

Maria do Rosario Bragança, the incumbent minister, said Tuesday in Luanda , during a working meeting with members of CEAST, that it served to share information on the state of development and operation of higher education institutions in the country.

'It was a working meeting held within the framework of the partnership between the Angolan State and the Catholic Church, in this specific case to improve the provision of services, education and teaching to the population. We gave an overview of the national training offer,' the minister said.

The minister said the event established mechanisms for monitoring the institutions, made it possible to understand the challenges and constraints that CEAST faces in its implementation, as well as aligning the training offer of the higher education institutions under CEAST's tutelage with the National Development Plan.

Maria Bragança recommended an effort to prioritize areas with a shortage of courses, namely engineering, natural sciences, agricultural sciences, veterinary sciences, arts and humanities.

On the occasion, the president of CEAST, José Manuel Imbanba, said the meeting also served to conform to the legislation in force in the country, so that the training response has a positive impact on the society.

'This is in line with the characterization of our university, which is not just about teaching staff technically, but also about instilling in them values such as ethics, so that they can make a difference in society,' he explained.

He defended the need to create a platform for more fluid dialogue, to facilitate rapid responses to real difficulties.

Angola has 106 higher education institutions. JAM/OHA/DAN/AMP