Colombia forges stronger HE links with Britain

Greater student mobility and research partnerships should emerge from an accord that forms part of presidential visit

November 2, 2016

Source: iStock

Signed and sealed: new agreement may lead to a new era of educational cooperation

The Colombian and British governments have strengthened their educational ties through an agreement that grants mutual recognition of all degrees.

The agreement was facilitated by the British Council and signed at the London School of Economics on 2 November by Nestor Osorio, the Colombian ambassador to the UK, and Jo Johnson, minister of state for universities, science, research and innovation, on behalf of their governments.

The ceremony took place in the presence of Juan Manuel Santos, the Colombian president, during his state visit to the UK.

The agreement ensures that any bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degrees awarded in one of the two countries are properly recognised in the other.

The UK is already an important study destination for Colombian postgraduates.

After Mexico and Chile, Colombia now becomes the third country in Latin America to sign this type of agreement, with Brazil, Peru and Argentina all expected to pursue the same path as Latin America develops as a key region for British educational and trade links.

“This agreement is based on the recognition of quality assurance systems for higher education in each country,” said Francisco Cardona, Colombia’s acting minister of education.

“We hope to boost mobility between the two countries and increase academic and research cooperation between institutions, facilitating and encouraging the creation of academic partnerships,” he said.

matthew.reisz@tesglobal.com