By R.Ravichandran
KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 (NNN-Bernama) — Algeria and Malaysia need to work together to undertake twinning programmes and develop cooperation between their universities as well as carry out joint research projects, said Algeria’s ambassador to Malaysia Saad Maandi.
Maandi said with regards to cooperation between Algeria and Malaysia in the field of higher education, a Memorandum of Understanding (Mou) was signed in Kuala Lumpur in December 2016.
He explained that the agreement promotes cooperation in many areas such as exchange of academic staff, teachers, trainers, experts and students between institutions of higher learning of the two countries.
“A joint working group, chaired by the secretary general of the ministries of higher education was created. The last session of this follow up mechanism was held in 2018,” he told Bernama in an interview here.
Maandi further said that around 600 Algerian students were currently studying in Malaysian universities.
The ambassador said currently 10 Malaysian students were studying in Algeria under Algerian government scholarships given previously.
“There is a possibility that more scholarships will be given this year for Malaysian students to study in Algeria,” he said.
Maandi also said last year two online training courses on diplomacy were offered to two Algerian citizens under the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP).
“I also believe that exchange of students will enable our brotherly peoples to know each other better and bring them closer,” he said.
He pointed out that both Algeria as well as Malaysia had made huge investments in the field of education.
“So, our common interestin education is due to the fact that we are aware and conscious of its importance and its ability to shape the future,” he further said.
Maandi said Algeria has 100 universities, in addition to 14 high schools in various specialties, including those recently opened in the fields of mathematics and artificial intelligence.
The number of students in these universities today is more than 1.7 million, he said.
Maandi further said more than 2,000 scholarships were awarded each year to foreign students.
“Our objective is to show our active solidarity with our Arab and African brothers as well as others and to contribute in training their people to take part in the development of their countries,” he said.
— NNN-BERNAMA