By Nthambeleni Gabara
The two countries that are united by history, South Africa and Cuba will very soon be implementing a progressive collaborative academic exchange programme.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Cuba to South Africa, His Excellency Fakri Rodriguez Pinelo launched educational initiative-promoting the academic and teaching internship programme ‘Cuba as a model of success for science education in a glittering event held in Pretoria on Friday.
“This internship programme that we are launching today is the logical next step in that cooperation. Cuba has demonstrated that it is possible to achieve scientific excellence through ingenuity, using both cutting-edge technologies and local resources for highly complex experiments.
“The key to success in science education lies in fostering motivation from any early age, and in understanding science as a tool for transforming reality, he said adding that South African academics travelling to Cuba will not only attend conferences and workshops, they will also visit cutting-edge research centres, that they will enjoy leisure activities on Cuba’s beaches or an evening tour of Havana.
According to Ambassador Pinelo, in Cuba science is a holistic process that combines academic rigour with creativity and critical thinking.
He further said science and culture are not separate and is a fundamental lesson they wish to share with South Africa through the exchange programme. More importantly, he said this experience go beyond the academic sphere in that the initiative incorporates the promotion of Cuban culture and its rich traditions across the board.
“We understand that the island’s academic excellence does not arise from isolation, but it is the result of its identity, its resilience and its deep sense of community. For this reason, this programme will enrich the scientific exchange with a cultural immersion encompassing Cuban music, art and folk traditions, which share deep historical roots with the African continent.
The Cuban Ambassador further described the launch of the progressive educational initiative as the continuation of the two countries shared history of a bond that transcends time and geography.
Relations between South Africa and Cuba are founded on deep-rooted values of solidarity, sovereignty and south-south cooperation. Last year, the two countries celebrated 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, a milestone that reflects the maturity and depth of our partnership.
In the field of education, the collaboration has been particularly fruitful. For the past 24 years, Cuban professionals have been working side by side with their South African counterparts to strengthen science education.
A decade ago, a bilateral agreement was signed to deploy Cuban specialists in Mathematics, Science and Technology (MST) to South Africa.
Currently, a team of Cuban educators are collaborating with the South African Department of Basic Education, where their aim is not only to teach, but also to offer training as part of strengthening the capacity of teachers in South Africa and Cuba so that they in turn can inspire the future generations of scientists and engineers.
Asked about the significance of the initiative, Ambassador Pinelo said: “we hope that this educational initiative will be a transformative experience at both professional and personal level, while allowing participants to discover the richness of a sister culture and strengthen the bonds of friendship between our people.
“We are glad that the South African universities that have already expressed their willingness to be part of the initiative to build bridges of learning together, a progressive move that will lead our two countries towards a more prosperous and equitable future.”
The event was attended by representatives of the University of South Africa (UNISA), University of Pretoria (UP), and University of Johannesburg (UJ), the Department of Basic Education to mention but a few.