Praia, 4 September (Inforpress) – The Minister of Education announced today the elimination of the Higher Education Regulatory Agency (ARES), citing a failure to fulfil its remit, and argued in favour of rationalising public resources by strengthening the Directorate-General for Higher Education.

According to Arnaldo Brito, six years after the creation of ARES, Cabo Verde still lacks a National Quality Assurance System, an instrument he considered fundamental for the functioning of the regulatory agency itself.

“We concluded that ARES failed to fulfil its role; it fell far short of fulfilling its role,” said the

Minister for Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education, Science and Innovation.

The same source added that the agency failed, during this period, to provide the country with the necessary national standards to ensure the quality of higher education.

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São Filipe, 04 Sept (Inforpress) – The rehabilitation and asphalting works on the Patim/Salto/Cova Figueira road are “practically at a standstill”, six months after the contract was awarded, despite one-third of the scheduled implementation period having already elapsed.

The project, awarded on February 4th by the previous government, represents a total investment of over 750 million escudos and has an execution period of 18 months.

The project was awarded to the consortium Elevolution Engenharia and Gama Engenharia e Construção, winner of the public tender.

With approximately 17 kilometers in length, the road is considered a strategic infrastructure for mobility and the economic and social development of the island, mainly because it constitutes an alternative axis to the São Filipe–Mosteiros connection via the north and contributes to the liberation of the southern region.

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Porto Inglês, 3 September (Inforpress) – Today, the City Council of Maio meets with the emigrant community from Maio at the Espaço Forte São José in the city of Porto Inglês to discuss the diaspora’s contributions to the island’s development.

The meeting, chaired by the Mayor of Maio, Rely Brito, is scheduled for 6.30 pm and aims to bring together emigrants from Maio who are currently on the island to discuss various aspects of local development.

The topics to be discussed include trade, tourism, agriculture, fisheries, youth training, investment and connectivity, which are considered key sectors for realising Maio’s economic and tourism potential.

According to the mayor, the emigrant community is an important partner in the island’s development, not only through investments and remittances, but also through the experience, knowledge and new perspectives that can contribute to local development.

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Porto Inglês, 4 September (Inforpress) – today, City Council of Maio is holding the “Badje Popular” event at the Municipal Multipurpose Centre; the net proceeds will go towards supporting the local arts community, specifically towards the creation of a rehearsal room and a music studio.

 The event aims to keep alive a tradition of conviviality, music and dance, bringing together national artists, artists from the region and local bands, in a space for meeting different generations and sounds of Cape Verdean music.

According to the city council, more than just an entertainment initiative, "Badje Popular" aims to contribute to creating better conditions for the island's artists to develop their projects.

The net revenue from the event will be used to equip a municipal rehearsal room and set up a municipal studio – facilities designed to support artists in their rehearsals, creative work and music production.

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