STUDYING PORTUGUESE AT VFU "CHERNORIZETS HRABAR" ENJOYS HUGE INTEREST

19 April 2024

Varna Free University "Chernorizets Hrabar" welcomed Sofia Saraiva, director of the Portuguese language centre at the Camões Institute. She was accompanied by Rumiana Staneva – а teacher of Portuguese language. The guests were welcomed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eleonora Tankova, Vice-Rector of the University, Prof. Galina Shamonina, Dean of "Student Life and Event Management", and Dr. Boryana Kostova, Director of the Department of Foreign Languages and Postgraduate Education.

The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss various perspectives for academic and cultural cooperation between the university and the Portuguese language centre. The keen interest on the part of students and university staff in learning the Portuguese language was shared with the guest. Indeed, the number of learners is impressive – over 230 people, with 100 new enrolments for this academic year alone. The role of the instructor of Portuguese Rumiana Staneva for the success of the programme was commended.

Varna Free University has successfully partnered with higher education institutions in various cities in Portugal, including Porto and Lisbon, where even now faculty and students from VFU "Chernorizets Hrabar" conduct their lectures or education under the Erasmus+ programme. VFU welcomes leading professors from the country of Luís Vaz de Camões, among whom was Andréa de Paiva, professor of neuroarchitecture. The Portuguese ambassadors to Bulgaria, Helena Margarida Rezende de Almeida Coutinho and Anna Maria Ribeiro da Silva, also visited the university, respectively, in 2020 and 2022.
VFU "Chernorizets Hrabar" already has a 5-year tradition of teaching and studying Portuguese, which began in 2019 and continues to grow and develop the interest in Portuguese language and culture.