Latium-Yisrael Higher Education School Credit Reciprocity Agreement
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| Latium-Yisrael Higher Education School Credit Reciprocity Agreement | |
|---|---|
| Type | Bilateral executive agreement |
| Signed | 21 July 1983 |
| Location | Castellum ab Alba |
| Effective | 1 January 1984 |
| Signatories |  Kingdom of Yisrael Latin Empire |
| Languages | Anglic, Modern Hebrew, Latin |
The Otacilius-Tal Memorandum, the short form of the official title Latium-Yisrael Higher Education School Credit Reciprocity Agreement, is an executive agreement between the Latin Empire and Yisrael outlining an agreement for reciprocity and equalization of the transfer of scholastic credits and grades for higher education institutions between the two countries.
For convenience, the memorandum was drafted into three copies, one in Latin, one in Anglic, and one in Modern Hebrew. The agreement was named after the principle negotiators: Constantine Otacilius, then-Latin Secretary of State for Education (and later a future Consul) and Naor Tal, then-Minister of Education.
History
After the signing of the 1973 Yarden Accords between Sydalon and Yisrael, of which Latium was a signatory as a guaranteeing power on behalf of Sydalon, both the Latin and Yisraeli governments took confidence-building steps to increase good-faith ties with the other. By the late 1970s into the early 1980s, this was realized in an increasing number of Yisraeli college-aged students choosing to study abroad at Latin universities, such the University of Haenna or the University of Castellum Iohannes XIII.
However, the credits and grading systems used in Latium differed from those of Yisrael, and higher-education institutions on both sides of the Periclean Sea would increasingly refuse or give reduced credit for coursework taken in secondary schools in the other country.
After receiving numerous protests and grievance requests from students and their parents, the Knesset passed a bill to create a committee to investigate integrating the grading systems and credit transfers in late 1980. However, this almost immediately created a institutional backlash as the Latin system deviated significantly from current Yisraeli education pedagogy, and the committee was de-funded and rescinded in early 1981.
President Binyamin Schwartz, instead, decided to approach the Latins on the executive level and sent inquiries to Castellum. The Latin Empress Diana Augusta expressed interest in remedying the growing dispute at the executive level as well, and in May 1982 established a bilateral working group, appointing her Secretary of State for Education, Constantine Otacilius, who was joined by his Yisraeli counterpart, Minister of Education Naor Tal, to establish a mutually-agreed system of credit and grade transfers.
Agreement and signing
Just over a year later, in July 1983, the Otacilius-Tal working group had created a system of scholastic credit and grade conversion that satisfied both nations' education establishments. The agreement was signed with pomp and ceremony in Castellum on July 21st, 1983, and took legal effect on January 1st, 1984.
In honor of the two top negotiators, the formal short form of the agreement was named after them.
Aftermath
According to a 2018 Latin Ministry of Education report, over 3,500 Yisraelis attend Latin higher-education institutions annually.