Page 151 - Textos de Matemática Vol. 34

HOW I MET JORGE ANTO´NIO SAMPAIO MARTINS
F. R. DIAS AGUDO
In 1962, General Studies Universities, integrated within the Portuguese Univer- sity system, were created in Angola and Mozambique. According to the Preamble of the respective Decree1, “higher education in the overseas provinces should be con- ducted in close association with already existing Universities, which, themselves, should not spare any energy to assure that such instruction be conducted in com- plete dignity”. Rules were established on the composition of the teaching staff, and, from the beginning, the positions of Chancellor were created2, and these as well as teaching personnel, could be nominated as through temporary overseas duty contracts3.
Right from the beginning4 Engineering courses, as well as others, were created, but the general part of the degrees in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and in Geology would only be created later5. The number of course years to be taught in Ultramar depended on the availability of teachers. The remaining years were to be taught in congenerous universities in the Metropolis.
In 1968, the General Studies Universities would be designated as the University of Luanda and the Louren¸co Marques University, respectively, since the possibility had arisen for the assurance that certain courses would be given in full and not simply in part6.
Two years later, in 1970, on the afternoon of the 4th of November, I landed at the Louren¸co Marques Airport to take up a temporary overseas duty contract at the University there in accordance with the legislation referred to above and through an invitation by Professor C´esar de Freitas, who, at the time, directed the
1Decree n. 44530, 21st of August 1962.
2Decree n. 44644, 24th of October 1962.
3Decree n. 44671, 7th of November 1962.
4Decree n. 45180, 5th of August 1963.
5It was the reform of the Faculties of Sciences in 1964 which restructured the sciences courses
into a general part of three years and complementary part of two years. At Louren¸co Marques the general part of the four first degrees indicated came into being in the school year of 1967-1968, by Decree n. 48042, 17th of November 1967, and Geology in the following year, by Decree n. 48563, 31st of August 1968.
6Decree n. 48790, 23rd of December 1968.
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