Overview of the General Education System

Algeria’s education system is a reflection of a blended colonial legacy and modernization. The country was once under French colonization, which molded its history. The current educational system was based on the Napoleonic model, which influenced organization, centralized governance, and curriculum design. After its independence, Algeria made education a priority, with the primary goal of progressively expanding access and achieving its endeavours in modernizing local socio-cultural values.

The educational system of Algeria is organized into five levels. The pre-primary (école préparatoire), primary (école primaire), lower secondary (enseignement moyen), upper secondary (enseignement secondaire), and tertiary education. A parallel avenue of learning is also present in technical and vocational education, which starts at the at the secondary level and extends into post-secondary technical institutes.

The Ministry of National Education handles basic education. At the same time, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research manages the tertiary level and oversees university accreditation, designs curriculum, and guarantees institutional quality. The country’s education field is surrounded by public and private institutions, as well as religious ones, and a few international schools that operate in urban areas.

Moreover, statistics from the year 2018-2019 revealed that Algeria had approximately 8.86 million students enrolled in primary and secondary education, of which about 4.28 million were in primary schools. Algeria also has a significant record of improved literacy, as the country achieved an adult literacy rate of 81% and a youth literacy rate at 97%.

Language of instruction is delivered through Algeria’s official language, Arabic, along with Tamazight (a Berber language) as a reflection of the country upholding its linguistic diversity. Although French is not an official language, it is commonly used in technical and scientific disciplines as it is deeply embedded since the colonial period. The government supports multilingualism as a cultural tapestry of the nation entrenched in educational policies.

Compulsory education in Algeria spans ten years, which covers the primary and lower secondary levels for children ages six to 15. Education is free across public schools as assured by the state. The legal framework decrees formal schooling to begin at age six after an optional period of early childhood education.

Early childhood education is conducted at preparatory schools (écoles préparatoires), which serve children aged three to six. Although this level is not mandatory, the number of enrollees is increasing. For instance, the academic year 2019-2020 records over 505,000 children enrolled in pre-primary education. This number surpasses 10,000 more than the previous year.

Primary education in Algeria is called école fondamentale and is taken for five years. Students start at the age of six and complete it by the age of eleven. After the primary level is four years of lower secondary education (enseignement moyen). This level educates students until age fifteen. Following completion, students take an assessment to gain the Brevet d’Enseignement Fondamental (BEF) necessary for upper secondary education eligibility.

Unfortunately, even with the implementation of educational policy, regional disparities persist along with the inconsistency in school attendance, particularly for girls in certain parts of the country. Data estimates that around three percent of Algerian youth have never received formal education, and 4% have completed only a portion of primary school. This leaves 7% of young people aged 15 to 24 without a complete primary education.

Algeria also supports children with special needs, as provisions are made for them, yet integrates them into mainstream classrooms with limited additional support. As for those with severe challenges, specialized care centers are available outside the formal school system.

On the other hand, Algeria’s higher education system has undergone significant changes over the past two decades. Structural reforms prompt the shifts aimed at fitting into internationalization, modernization and global alignment to compete with international standards. The main reason for these is the effort of adopting a new system. The système LMD (Licence-Master-Doctorat or BMD system) was implemented in 2004, which replaced the old of a 4-year Licence, a 2-year Magister, and a 3–4-year Doctorat.

The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research is responsible for regulating, accrediting and funding the 117 higher educational institutions located at 48 provinces across the country. Among the numbers are 55 public universities, nine university centers, 40 national higher schools specializing in specific disciplines (e.g., engineering, agriculture, business), and 13 teacher training colleges.

Admission into academic programs needs the national secondary school leaving examination known as the Baccalauréat de l’Enseignement Secondaire. The first cycle of higher education, also known as Licence, is equivalent to a bachelor’s degree and is a three-year program. The second cycle, the Master's, spans two years and culminates in a thesis defense. The third cycle, called Doctorat, is taken for three years and requires the production and defense of a dissertation contributing original research to the candidate’s field.

Data from academic year 2018-2019 shows that 49% of students in higher education were pursuing Licence degrees, while 35% were enrolled in Master's programs. These two groups sums up the 84% population of all higher education students.