Sao Paulo - A new arms treaty it was not. But you could forgive spectators for thinking that way after the elaborate negotiations ahead of a new education agreement between Brazil and Georgia.
The partnership signed Thursday between the Technical College System of Georgia and its counterpart in Sao Paulo clears the way for a new foreign exchange program between the two higher education systems. It was signed at the tail end of a weeklong trade mission to Brazil led by Gov. Nathan Deal.
Gretchen Corbin, who heads the state's tech school system, said the agreement could provide new opportunities for students in health, culinary arts and hospitality programs.
"We know that our students are going to be so excited to partner with yours in an exchange," she said through a translator to a handful of Sao Paulo politicians.
The details of the partnership haven't been hashed out yet, but the broad outlines were agreed upon in a stuffy diplomatic session at the Palacio dos Bandeirantes, the governor of Sao Paulo's hilltop estate.
Corbin and a small team of negotiators met with Sao Paulo officials on Wednesday to prep for the pact, and sealed the deal after about an hour of formalities on Thursday. and said it could wind up allowing reciprocal educational opportunities, new study abroad initiatives and internships.
One reason the discussions were so rigorous: Officials with Centro Paula Souza, Sao Paulo's technical college system, indicated the stakes were high.
"We are a role model for the rest of the country," said Marcio Franca, the vice governor of Sao Paulo. "So if we don't do it right here, we won't do it right."
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