Mr. Mohammed Gherras, Secretary General of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, conducted from November 26 to December 3rd, 2011, a working visit to Canada at the head of a large delegation composed of Ms. MEZACHE Nacéra, Director of Studies at the Ministry’s General Secretariat; Mr. Mr. BAKOUCHE Sadek, Professor at the National High Commercial Studies (INHEC) and Chairman of the National Committee for Quality Assurance in the Ministry and Mr. MILIAN Mohamed, Professor at the University of Oran. 

          During their stay in Canada, the delegation was received by Ms. Christiane Piché, Assistant Deputy Minister of Higher Education of Quebec, Ms. Karen McBride, President and CEO of the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) Ms. Claire Poulin, Director, International Education and Youth Division, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, Mr. David Malone, President of the International Development Research Center (IDRC) and Mr. Paul Davidson, Chairman of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (A.U.C.C). It has also been received by officers of the Conference of Rectors and Principals of Quebec Universities (CREPUQ), the umbrella organization for all Quebec universities. 

          During the talks, the delegation discussed the prospects for cooperation in the field of higher education and ways to further strengthen them. 

          Among the discussed topics: 

• The Canadian experience in governance and quality assurance in the framework of the project to establish a quality assurance program in Algerian universities.

• Student mobility, exchange of professors and the establishment of partnerships between Canadian and Algerian universities.

• Opportunities for cooperation and implementation of joint programs in the areas of training and scientific research.

          It is note worth noting that the delegation had meetings with officials of the University of Laval, University of Ottawa, the University of Montreal and the University of Quebec in Montreal. 

          Among the key actions identified in these discussions, it is worth mentioning: 

• Sending an IDRC team to Algeria during the first semester of 2012 to identify in conjunction with Algerian research laboratories joint research projects in the field of development and to be funded by the Canadian Party.

The principle of organizing in June 2012 in Algiers, in collaboration with the CBIE, an Algerian-Canadian symposium with the participation of Canadian experts and academics to discuss the establishment of a mechanism for cooperation between the Algerian and Canadian universities.

          Finally, Mr. Gherras met at a reception at the Embassy of Algeria in Ottawa, a group of Algerian professors and researchers based in the capital of Canada. He reiterated the availability of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to establish exchange channels with Algerian researchers and experts living abroad, so they can contribute in the reform process of Algerian University through the management and supervision of theses, short-term teaching and participating in joint research teams. 

                                                               Ottawa, December 7th, 2011. 
                                                                              

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