Mexican universities have become an escape route for many Cuban students who choose to get a scholarship from the government of Mexico to study postgraduate studies.
Story and Photo by Periodico Cubano | JUN. 25, 2023
Cuban university students will have a new opportunity to travel to Mexico in academic exchanges as a result of the rapprochement between the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the University of Havana (UH), according to official press media.
The rector of UNAM, Enrique Graue, traveled to the Cuban capital to inaugurate a Center for Mexican Studies (CEM) in the facilities of the UH that would allow a greater exchange between students and academics of both houses of high studies.
"The new headquarters of UNAM will have, among other tasks, to promote cooperation and academic exchange with the higher education institutions of the Island, as well as with research institutes. Likewise, it will intensify the mobility of students and academics," explains the joint statement signed by Graue and the rector of the UH, Miriam Nicado.
The implementation of the CEM will begin as early as next week with the holding of a colloquium on Caribbean studies. According to Nicado, "we are very excited about the creation of this study center and to host a university of the dimensions and academic quality of UNAM."
At the opening ceremony, Rector Graue was accompanied by the Ambassador of Mexico to Cuba, Miguel Ignacio Díaz Reynoso. Since the coming to power of the populist Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mexico has become a great ally of Cuba, hiring medical services and giving oil to the Island to alleviate the enormous energy crisis.
However, beyond institutional relations, Mexican universities have become an escape route for many Cuban students who choose to get a scholarship from the government of Mexico to study postgraduate studies.
UNAM was founded in 1910 and has become the largest university in Mexico in terms of student enrollment and academic diversity. In total, about 121 undergraduate degrees are offered in its various faculties and schools, covering disciplines such as social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, engineering, medicine, art and many others.
It has academic exchange programs and agreements with various educational institutions abroad. This facilitates the mobility of students from other countries who want to study at UNAM for one or two semesters as part of their academic training.
The presence of international students at UNAM contributes to cultural diversity and the exchange of ideas on the university campus. It also encourages academic collaboration between students from different countries and enriches the educational experience in general.
