Following the ICMED final conference in Oran, discussions on mobility continued in Algiers during the cluster on International credit mobility in Algeria organized by the National Erasmus Office and hold at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research on the 27th of February, gathering representatives from around 50 universities.
This cluster was the occasion to draw the state of the art of Algerian universities participation in the ICM programme and to share good practices and experiences. As mentioned by Pr.Mohamed-Tahar Abadlia, General Secretary of the Ministry, efforts made Algerian universities is quite notable and in large progression (252 %) from 2015 to 2019, even if the subvention remains equal. Algeria is ranked 12 on 44 participating countries, with 137 projects selected in 2019.
Ambassador of the European Delegation, John O’Rourke, recorded the European support and efforts to strengthen the cooperation through mobility programmes.
Structural challenges are still to overcome, as visa and language issues, as well as a more balanced mobility between South/North and North/South.
Malika Kebri, National Erasmus office coordinator indicates that the 5 main partners countries with Algerian universities for ICM are the following: Spain, France, Portugal, Turkey and Italy. She also mentioned that 43 universities on 107 opened an Erasmus + office. Directorate General for Education, Youth, Sports and Culture representative, German Bernal Rìos, made an overall presentation of the ICM programme with a focus on Algerian situation and presented the great trends for the next 2021-2027 programme, oriented to be ” more green, more inclusive and more international”.
Wenceslao Martìn Rosalès, Director of Internationalization at Granada University introduced the ICMED project experience and results. Marcello Scalisi, UNIMED Director, presented the Erasmus + Virtual Exchange as a complementary tool to the physical mobility and all UNIMED efforts towards a new Mediterranean generation. All participants encouraged the Algerian universities to continue their efforts towards more outgoing mobility but also incoming mobility to increase university internationalization.
