Scientific event

Schooling in Algeria Today: The Challenges of Textbooks, Private Schools, and supplementary Tutoring

Type

National Seminar

date

15/06/2026 - 16/06/2026

heure

09:00

lieu

CRASC

Anthropology of Education and Training Systems Division

Theme :

The School and Its Stakeholders

Keywords :

Algeria competency education evaluation Oran school school textbook training

Abstract

The national seminar "Schooling in Algeria: The Challenges of Textbooks, Private Schools, and Supplementary Tutoring" is based on field studies and debates conducted within the framework of projects by the Research Division on the Anthropology of Education and Training Systems.
The first axis of this event deals with the content of textbooks in social and human sciences disciplines, the evolution of their themes, and the tensions they have raised among various actors, both inside and outside the educational system.
The second axis addresses private schools under the purview of national education (actors, publics, social demand, public/private relationship, etc.), as well as the modalities of their creation and development at the local level.
As for the third axis, it focuses on the phenomenon of "parallel supplementary tutoring" or private tutoring, its forms, its causes, as well as official and societal positions regarding it.
First Axis: Textbooks in Social and Human Sciences Disciplines: Content and Challenges
Examining the main themes that have structured the content of language, social sciences, and human sciences textbooks across different school cycles reveals that they revolve around several dimensions: national identity, language, local culture and heritage, historical narrative (memorial discourse), colonialism and the national liberation war, state-building and strengthening the sense of belonging, modernization and development issues, global stakes and regional relations, not to mention issues related to citizenship, human rights, cultural diversity, environmental protection, democracy, tolerance, equality, and critical thinking.
Depending on the period, a more or less significant diversification of the themes addressed can be observed, marked by progress in certain areas and setbacks in others. Numerous debates, and even tensions, also arise around issues such as the hierarchy of national and foreign languages, the national narrative and local memories, religious values, global culture and technological modernity, gender issues and discourses on equality, as well as the content of literary, philosophical, and religious texts. Added to this are divergences regarding the limits of stimulating critical thinking and the preference given to comprehension skills rather than memorization in pedagogical practices implemented through textbook content.
Based on these observations, it seems relevant to revisit the evolution of the themes addressed in these textbooks, as well as the stakes and debates—both epistemological and socio-political—raised by the choice of certain contents. This reflection also opens up a comparative perspective, making it possible to question the major turning points that school curricula have experienced in Maghreb, African, and Mediterranean spaces through this type of educational medium.

In this perspective, this axis proposes to address the following questions:

How have the themes of social sciences, human sciences, and languages evolved at school through textbook content?

What are the characteristics of pedagogical discourse in these disciplines?

What relationship does it maintain with local transformations and the repercussions of global changes?

What epistemological, pedagogical, and socio-cultural stakes have marked the content of these textbooks?

What are the modalities for adopting these books and the criteria for their evaluation?

What are the main debates and reservations raised by their content that have sparked controversies among different actors and elites?

Finally, what are the new challenges facing the textbook industry today in the context of digital transformations and new forms of interactive learning?

Second Axis: Private Schools in Algeria: Actors, Founding Challenges, and Governance Models

This axis focuses on private schools, which constitute a new form of educational establishment and are drawing growing interest from families who have opted out of the free education offered by public schools. Statistics indeed show a continuous increase in their number. While they were few in number following the decrees and decisions regulating their creation in 2004–2005, and concentrated in a few large wilayas, they have progressively expanded to reach approximately 680 establishments over the last two years.
The Centre for Research in Social and Cultural Anthropology (CRASC) has already supervised several studies dedicated to this type of establishment, notably the National Research Project (PNR) entitled "Private Education in Algeria: Realities and Perspectives" (2012–2013), as well as the institutional research project "Private Schools of National Education: Selectivity and Quality of Training" (2020–2024). The preliminary results of this research have revealed forms of selectivity and heterogeneity within these establishments. This heterogeneity appears both in the backgrounds and profiles of the actors—founders, managers, and teachers—and among the students and their families. We hypothesize that this selectivity is mainly determined by social and cultural origins, as well as by the intellectual and ideological orientations of the various actors involved.
We approach this issue from the observation that studies conducted at the national level on the rise of private schools remain limited due to the relatively recent nature of this development. Existing research has mainly focused on the regulatory and legal framework of these establishments, the rules governing them, the degree of satisfaction of parents, and their relationship with social and cultural transformations.
Within this framework, this section proposes to examine the different forms that private schools take in Algeria today in order to highlight the dynamics underlying their emergence and geographical expansion, the success or failure factors of certain experiences, the challenges related to their governance, and the pedagogical models that guide the choice of these establishments.
Third Axis: Supplementary Tutoring and Private Lessons: The Other Face of Education and Schooling in Question
The third axis focuses on the issue of supplementary tutoring and private lessons in Algeria. It examines the processes leading to their "structural character," which has today become a prominent feature across all cycles of education and schooling in the country, albeit with varying intensities and sociological configurations. Field observations reveal a plurality of forms of this phenomenon, distinguished both by individual initiatives and by the institutional modalities that frame them, as well as by the nature of their delivery, whether in-person or remote.
We consider that the phenomenon of private tutoring highlights some of the profound transformations that the Algerian educational system is experiencing today and which the public school is facing. Notably, it questions central concepts such as educational equity, free education, and the conception of education as a public service or a social mission. This issue appears with particular acuity when associated with academic success and its quality, when viewed as a space for pedagogical remediation, or when it transforms into an educational and social mechanism deemed "indispensable" in contemporary logics of academic competition. Academic results, which heavily condition training pathways and career opportunities—particularly in the case of baccalaureate holders—constitute a significant indicator of this. Beyond these dimensions, the structural nature of the phenomenon also offers a relevant framework for questioning the relationships between society, education, and the school institution in a context marked by both generational transformations and the rise of digital technology.

This structural character, which is currently the subject of numerous scientific debates based on empirical surveys, raises several major questions:

How can we explain and understand the structuring of this phenomenon?

What indicators allow us to identify the social demand emanating from the different actors involved?

How can we understand its effects on the analysis of operational concepts that fuel contemporary debates around the quality of teaching in public schools, educational equity, the pedagogical needs of students, the parallel market of private lessons, educational inequalities between social groups, or the professional skills of educational actors?

The phenomenon also constitutes a key entry point for examining the nature, evolution, and reconfiguration of the "social contract" that historically enabled social mobility through free public schooling and offered its beneficiaries prospects for professional advancement. While some research (Darras, 2014) emphasizes that certain forms of social success are no longer necessarily correlated with academic success—as evidenced in particular by the employment crisis among qualified young university graduates—how then can we explain the continuous increase in the demand for private lessons? How can we understand the expansion of this parallel education market?

It should be recalled that this phenomenon, among others, has already been the subject of official reports and ministerial proposals aimed at providing both regulatory and pedagogical responses to address certain difficulties in the educational system, notably the progressive drop in attendance at public schools and the phenomenon of absenteeism in exam-year classes.
Designed as a reflection and discussion workshop, the third axis aims to continue the scientific debate around this issue and to engage its various actors to better understand the long-term transformations affecting relations between the school, the family, and society in Algeria. We believe that scientific exchanges based on a diversity of theoretical and conceptual approaches, as well as international comparisons, constitute a major opportunity to develop new research perspectives. This includes designing field survey projects capable of producing updated, rigorous, and professional data on this phenomenon, allowing for an analysis and interpretation that goes beyond common-sense discourses, which often produce approximations rather than scientific knowledge.

Coordination: Fouad NOUAR – Djilali ELMESTARI – Abdelwahab BELGHERRAS – Mustapha MEDJAHDI – Hind BOUAGADA

Participants

Mustapha HADDAB

intervenant

intervention_summary

Relationships Between Morphological and Cultural Factors in the Quality of Education: The Case of Secondary School Language Textbooks

The theme of improving the quality of education is frequently raised in educational discourse, most often in summary or ambiguous forms. I attempt to develop a critical analysis of this theme by distinguishing the factors that condition this aspiration for efficient teaching, according to their degree of effectiveness. More specifically, I examine the pedagogical value of Arabic language and literature textbooks at the secondary level, questioning the arrangement, choice, and presentation of the texts they contain, as well as the relationship to literature and culture thus offered to learners

Biography

Professor Emeritus / Retired University Professor.
For many years, he taught philosophy, social psychology, and the sociology of education and culture. He was a member of the scientific councils of both CRASC and INRE. His research focuses on issues within cultural sociology and the sociology of knowledge.

Nouria BENGHABRIT REMAOUN

intervenant

intervention_summary

Private tutoring: a social phenomenon with multiple consequences

In the immediate aftermath of independence, the State embarked on a process of massive school enrollment, reaching 98% of an age group by 2026, with compulsory schooling up to the age of 16. Today, this long history of massification is no longer assessed solely through access rates, but also through the number of students lost along the way, with a completion rate of 94.5% in primary school, 68.5% in middle school, and 46.4% in secondary school (MICS6 Algeria, Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, 2019). The norm that has progressively taken hold within families is to achieve a basic education up to middle school, with the aspiration of entering high school, and ultimately, university.
Academic failure, dropping out, school disengagement, academic disinvestment, or even school rupture—regardless of the terminology used—make academic tutoring appear unavoidable. Recourse to the informal and institutional private market for tutoring, once reserved for exam classes, has expanded to all levels, grades, and a wide variety of subjects. Variously referred to as extra, complementary, private, or remedial classes, the "clientele" is divided between those wishing to improve their academic performance, overcome specific difficulties in certain subjects, or maintain academic engagement. Whatever the underlying uses, the issue of the multifaceted courses of action mobilized contributes to questioning the operational modes of the school as a public institution in its fundamental mission of equal opportunity, re-examining evaluation methods, and ultimately, challenging teacher training.
Three points will be addressed in this introduction to the debate: first, the realities of this booming and lucrative phenomenon of academic tutoring; second, national and international assessments of learning and their results; and third, the public action modalities devised to counter, bypass, or even block this phenomenon.

Biography

Sociologist, PhD in Education Sciences (Paris V, Sorbonne). Former director of the CRASC (1992-2014) and Minister of National Education (2014-2019), she has directed a number of research and expert projects on universities, students, schools, early childhood, young people and women, and has written and presented several papers on these subjects.

Mina TOUNSSI

intervenant

intervention_summary

History of Algerian Textbooks: Design, Development, and Evaluation

The objective of this presentation is to shed light on the various stages of the design and development of Algerian textbooks, based on archived documents from the INRE (formerly IPN). This memory work, linked to the successive reforms of the educational system and the evolution of curricula, highlights the institutions involved in their development, the personnel engaged, and the tools created in this field from 1962 to the present day. The evaluation and approval of textbooks represent a more recent development, as the procedures for adopting these books and the criteria for their evaluation were only established from 2003 onwards, with the implementation of the education reform.
Our presentation will examine development frameworks, evaluation processes, training initiatives, and conceptual methodological choices, before ultimately questioning the sustainability of textbooks and their "lifespan" in the face of digital tool usage.

Biography

Inspector of Education and a member of the National Curriculum Council since December 2021. She previously served as Head of the Documentation and Database Department at the National Institute for Educational Research (INRE) from 1994 to 2003. Between 2002 and 2016, she was a member of the French Specialized Subject Group (GSD), contributing to the development of school curricula under the auspices of the National Curriculum Commission. She is also the author of several textbooks and extracurricular educational materials.

Farid BENRAMDANE

intervenant

intervention_summary

How have the pedagogical specifications of new Algerian textbooks turned "Algerianness" into a strategic principle for structuring educational content?

This contribution offers a reflection on the central role of the concept of Algerianness (algérianité) in the design and thematic structuring of Algerian textbooks, based on an examination of the pedagogical specifications governing their design, evaluation, and approval.
The analysis stems from the idea that recent pedagogical reforms have gradually shifted the role of the textbook from a mere didactic tool to a strategic instrument of educational, cultural, and identity governance.
The core hypothesis is that Algerianness is no longer solely a matter of symbolic or ideological register, but now constitutes a true curricular matrix. This matrix organizes content selection, textual choices, cultural referents, learning situations, and methods of pedagogical contextualization. This approach is reflected in the emphasis placed on Algerian writers, national heritage, shared memory, historical figures, local socio-cultural references, and the diverse linguistic and cultural expressions characteristic of the Algerian context.

Through a cross-disciplinary approach combining curricular analysis, language and culture didactics, institutional discourse analysis, and onomastics, this contribution will analyze the structuring dynamics of school content in current textbooks, as well as the underlying issues at stake: the articulation between universal openness and national anchoring, between pedagogical innovation and identity cohesion, and between cultural contextualization and international standards of educational quality.
The objective of this research is to examine the new functions of the textbook in contemporary Algeria, viewed as a strategic space for the production of knowledge, representations, and national belonging.

Biography

Farid BENRAMDANE is a Professor of Higher Education in Language Sciences, specialising in onomastics (the study of proper names), and former Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Literatures. An expert in toponymy (the study of place names) and Algeria's representative at the United Nations International Conferences on the Standardisation of Geographical Names, he is also the founder of the Research Unit on Naming Systems in Algeria (RASYD/CRASC). Author and editor of numerous publications on naming systems in Algeria, he is also President of SASO (Société algérienne savante d'onomastique).

Nadjat LAHDIRI

intervenant

Biography

A Director of Research at the Centre for Research in Social and Cultural Anthropology (CRASC) in Oran (Algeria), she specializes in information and communication sciences. Her work focuses on media and communication studies, in both their traditional and digital dimensions, utilizing historical, political, sociological, and anthropological approaches. She currently leads an institutional research project within CRASC entitled: 'Dictionary of Personalities and Events in Algeria during the Period 1945–1954: Press, Health, and Education'. As part of a previous research project conducted at the same center, she examined the evolution of themes addressed in Amazigh language textbooks at the middle and secondary education levels. Her research thus lies at the intersection of media studies, language policies, and educational issues in Algeria.

Nabila BOUKRI

intervenant

intervention_summary

The evolution of Amazigh language textbooks across the different educational cycles in Algeria: continuities and shifts

The teaching of the Amazigh language was introduced into the various levels of the Algerian school system during the 1990s. This introduction aimed to consolidate national cultural identity, reinforce citizenship values, and promote the local specificities and values that characterize Algerian society.
Amazigh language textbooks are distinguished by a diversity of forms and contents, while remaining aligned with evolving educational curricula and successive pedagogical reforms. One of their main characteristics lies in the richness and diversity of the themes addressed, covering fields such as culture, geography, and history. They also offer content that provides a relatively comprehensive overview of the different regions of Algeria, their cultural diversity, geographical features, and local specificities.

Biography

In charge of studies and synthesis at the National Programs Council under the Ministry of National Education, she is also a former inspector of English for middle school education. She was a member of the specialized English language commission, where she contributed to the design of English curricula and the development of accompanying pedagogical documents. She also participated in designing middle school textbooks and their associated teacher's guides. With extensive experience in pedagogical training and supervision, she has worked as an international consultant and trainer in modern teaching methods for several international organizations, including UNICEF, UNESCO, and the British Council.

Lila MEDJAHED

intervenant

intervention_summary

The French as a Foreign Language Textbook in Algeria: Design Challenges, Didactic Contextualization, and Pedagogical Appropriation

Our presentation falls within the first axis of the conference, which is dedicated to the contents and challenges of textbooks in linguistic and human sciences disciplines. It proposes a reflection on the French as a Foreign Language (FLE) textbook as a didactic and institutional tool that contributes to the transmission of scholarly knowledge, know-how, and life skills within a plurilingual context. Its design mobilizes several actors—including didacticians, inspectors, teachers, and illustrators—and requires deep reflection on the targeted competencies, cultural contents, and pedagogical approaches.
The design process took the following parameters into account: highlighting the question of 'Algerianness' (algérianité), addressing a heterogeneous audience (across the country's four regions), plurilingualism, and the weight of didactic traditions within national education. The national textbook caters to diverse audiences from different regions of the country, spanning urban, rural, and Saharan areas where relationships with the French language differ significantly. Consequently, the status of French—navigating between a second language and a foreign language—constitutes a central challenge in the choice of content and pedagogical progressions.
This contribution will also address the importance of existing didactic traditions and the gaps that may arise between the designers' intentions and actual classroom practices. It will demonstrate that a textbook is only effective if it undergoes pedagogical appropriation and if teachers receive specific training on its use. Finally, this reflection will examine the new challenges facing textbooks in the context of digital transformations and new forms of interactive learning.

Biography

Professor at M'Hamed Bougara University, Boumerdès. Director of the TECLANG Laboratory: Academic Technolects, Training Engineering / Pedagogical Engineering, and Design of Teaching Tools in National and Foreign Languages (UMBB). Head of the Master’s Program in Literature and Civilization. Founding member of the Algerian Scholarly Society of Onomastics (SASO), Algeria, and designer of French language textbooks.

Fatiha BELASLA

intervenant

intervention_summary

Civic Education Textbooks in Algeria: A Reading into the Evolution of Themes and Contents

The teaching of civic education holds a prominent place within the Algerian education system, given its role in anchoring the values of citizenship and developing social and civic awareness among learners, as well as its contribution to supporting the political, social, and cultural transformations that Algerian society has undergone. Consequently, civic education textbooks constitute essential pedagogical tools that reflect the orientations of educational reforms and the evolution of cognitive and pedagogical challenges within the Algerian school system.
This study aims to provide a reading into the evolution of themes and contents in Algerian civic education textbooks from 2003 to 2023. It achieves this by identifying the transformations that have affected their content and analyzing the issues and values highlighted during the different phases of educational reform.
The study relies on content analysis to track the evolution of civic education themes and to analyze their cognitive and axiological structure. It is also based on a corpus of Algerian civic education textbooks belonging to the first and second generations, with the aim of highlighting the nature of the transformations these textbooks have undergone

Biography

A Professor of Higher Education, she is responsible for teaching various units in psychology and pedagogy within the French Language Department at the École Normale Supérieure (ENS) of Letters and Human Sciences in Bouzaréah. She is also an Associate Professor in the departments of psychology and educational sciences at the University of Algiers 2 as well as at the Mouloud Mammeri University of Tizi Ouzou. She has authored several individual and co-authored books in both Arabic and French in the fields of psychology and educational sciences. Her latest book, dedicated to 'didactics', was published by the Office des Publications Universitaires (OPU) in 2025

Djilali EL MESTARI

intervenant

intervention_summary

Religious Content in Islamic Education Textbooks in Algeria: Challenges of Discourse Between School and Extra-Curricular Spaces

This paper analyzes the issues surrounding the religious content of Islamic education textbooks in Algeria, examining school religious discourse and its relationship with extra-curricular spaces that produce religious meaning. The National Education Islamic education textbook is not solely a pedagogical tool for transmitting doctrinal, legal, and moral knowledge; it also represents a fundamental pillar of social and religious socialization, contributing to the construction of specific representations of religion, the relationship to oneself and others, as well as forms of social and national belonging.
The main hypothesis of this contribution is that school religious discourse no longer holds a monopoly over shaping the religious consciousness of learners, particularly in a context marked by the growing influence of parallel extra-curricular spaces. These spaces encompass traditional socialization institutions, social media platforms, new religious actors, as well as generative artificial intelligence applications, which now play a mediating role in providing access to religious knowledge, interpretation, and even normative guidance for younger generations. This study contends that the main challenge for textbooks no longer resides solely in the content of the religious knowledge taught at school, but also in the educational institution's capacity to develop a pedagogically oriented religious discourse capable of engaging with contemporary social mutations. Such a discourse should foster a critical and balanced religious socialization, able to mediate between institutional religious reference and the plurality of external sources of influence outside the school.

Biography

A Research Director at the Center for Research in Social and Cultural Anthropology (CRASC) in Oran, Algeria, he specializes in religious philosophy. He also served as director of the same center from 2017 to 2021, and as director of the National Institute for Research in Education under the Ministry of National Education from 2016 to 2017. Additionally, he worked as a research expert for a knowledge transfer project with the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities from 2014 to 2015. His research focuses primarily on religious discourse, education, and citizenship in Algeria. He has authored around thirty scientific articles published in international and Algerian journals, as well as in collective volumes, and has participated in over eighty national and international conferences and seminars. He is a member and consultant for several national and international bodies, including the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA, Dakar, Senegal), the Arab Council for the Social Sciences, and the International Network for the Study of Arab Societies (Beirut, Lebanon).

Rosa MAHDJOUB

intervenant

intervention_summary

School Absenteeism and Recourse to Private Tutoring in Algeria: Towards an Informal Privatization of Learning?

This paper proposal examines the links between school absenteeism and the development of private tutoring in Algeria, viewed as an informal form of privatization of learning. Based on the findings of an exploratory survey conducted among middle and secondary school students across several schools in the wilaya of Algiers, this study highlights a gradual transformation in students' relationship with the public school system.
The collected data demonstrate that absenteeism cannot be reduced to a mere matter of discipline or lack of motivation. Instead, it appears to be the expression of a disengagement from school linked to a loss of trust in the educational institution and a questioning of its pedagogical effectiveness, particularly at the secondary level. A significant proportion of the surveyed students consider that school no longer constitutes a favorable learning environment and report preferring alternative learning methods, most notably private tutoring.
The survey also reveals that recourse to private tutoring is widespread and that a portion of absent students dedicate this time to alternative learning activities, ranging from autonomous revision to private tutoring or online learning. Secondary school students appear particularly affected by this dynamic, with several of them considering private tutoring to be more effective than the instruction provided within the formal school framework.
This contribution thus proposes to analyze absenteeism as an indicator of contemporary mutations within the Algerian educational system and as a symptom of the emergence of a 'parallel learning system.' It examines the effects of this informal privatization on educational inequalities, the relationship to knowledge, and the integrative function of public schools. Finally, it opens up a reflection on the transformations of educational practices and the challenges this phenomenon poses regarding equity and public educational policies.

Biography

Rosa Mahdjoub holds a Ph.D. in Education Sciences and is an international expert serving as Head of Department at the National Observatory of Education and Training (ONEF) in Algeria.Her research focuses on the efficiency, equity, and governance of education systems in Africa, as well as early childhood development. She earned her doctorate from the University of Haute-Alsace and is an affiliated researcher at the LISEC Laboratory in France and the Research Center for Social and Cultural Anthropology (CRASC) in Algeria. Recognized for her expertise, she has carried out numerous consultancy assignments for major international organizations, including UNICEF, UNESCO, and the World Bank. She is also the author of several widely recognized research articles on the performance and functioning of school systems, particularly in Algeria and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Hadj Said BAKIR

intervenant

intervention_summary

Private Schools in the M’zab: Individual Selectivity or Social Specificity?

This contribution analyzes the educational experience of private schools under the Ibadi waqfs (charitable endowments) in the Mzab Valley (Ghardaïa). These include nearly thirty historic free schools dating back to the 1930s, as well as eight more recent private schools founded from 2005 onward, following the enactment of the ministerial decree authorizing the opening of private educational institutions.
Although this region is located in southern Algeria—an area generally considered in the literature on private schooling as unattractive for educational investment—it has witnessed the emergence of private schools within a context distinct from that observed in major cities. Today, the phenomenon is experiencing both quantitative and qualitative growth, maintaining a close structural link with local society. This dynamic is expressed, on the one hand, through a collective desire to implement educational projects aimed at mentoring and educating younger generations, extending the deeply rooted tradition of the free school within Mozabite society; on the other hand, it reflects a willingness to invest in children's education while preserving cultural and community specificities, with education conceived as a societal project rather than a commercial enterprise.
Consequently, this paper examines the founding logic of these private institutions in the Mzab region: do they stem from a process of individual selectivity, or do they primarily respond to a need to preserve a distinct community identity? More broadly, does this orientation pose a threat to the national educational system as a whole, or, conversely, does it represent a qualitative contribution capable of enriching its diversity?

Biography

Holder of a PhD in Philosophy of Education, he is a professor of higher education at the École Normale Supérieure (ENS) of Bouzaréah (Algeria). As a researcher specializing in education and values, he takes a particular interest in the theme of free education in the M’zab Valley. He has also served as the founder and former director of a private school in Algiers.
He is the author of several scientific works in the field of educational sciences. His published books notably include: Our Children and Violence: Manifestations, Causes, and Solutions; Our Children and Television; as well as Introduction to Values and Educational Curricula. He also edited the collective work Texts and Figures of Algerian Educational Thought.
He has participated in numerous national and international conferences, presenting papers on Quranic education in the M’zab Valley, the axiological dimension of the Algerian educational system, private education in Algeria, and the relationship between education and ideology.

Hind BOUAGADA

intervenant

intervention_summary

Private Education and Schooling in Oran: Selectivity and Training Quality

This presentation delivers the results of an institutional research project conducted by the Center for Research in Social and Cultural Anthropology (CRASC), entitled "Private Schools in National Education: Selectivity and Training Quality." The project aimed to identify the developmental trajectories of private educational institutions, as well as the conditions surrounding their emergence in Oran. It highlights the characteristics of the various stakeholders involved (founders, principals, teachers, and parents) and analyzes their perceptions regarding this type of schooling. The presentation draws on data from an empirical study, combining both quantitative and qualitative methods, conducted in the wilaya of Oran between 2022 and 2025.
The findings from the fieldwork reveal that these educational institutions are characterized by a high degree of heterogeneity, visible both in their creation trajectories and in the profiles of the actors involved—whether founders, principals, or teachers. This heterogeneity also extends to the parents who enroll their children in these schools, pointing toward distinct forms of social and cultural selection (driven by cultural preferences).

Biography

Research Fellow (Grade A) at the Center for Research in Social and Cultural Anthropology (CRASC) in Oran (Algeria), she specializes in clinical psychology. She has participated in several national and international research projects, including: "The socio-professional integration process of young university graduates," "Educational and pedagogical entrepreneurship: motivations and career paths," and "Private schools in national education: selectivity and training quality." Her scientific publications and academic presentations focus primarily on the themes of youth, childhood, gender, marginalization, as well as education and teaching.

Abdelouahab BELGHERRAS

intervenant

intervention_summary

This presentation analyzes the transformations underwent by philosophy curricula and textbooks in Algerian secondary education, in light of the educational reforms implemented in the National Education sector, particularly since the early 2000s. These reforms led to a reconfiguration of cognitive contents, as well as the pedagogical and axiological choices underlying the teaching of the discipline.
The study is based on the hypothesis that "the teaching of philosophy is not limited to the transmission of philosophical knowledge. It also fulfills an essential educational and cultural function, tied to the production of specific modes of thought and the construction of learners' axiological and social perceptions." To understand these transformations, the analysis deploys two complementary approaches. The first, historico-sociological in nature, examines the evolution of philosophical contents and themes within curricula and textbooks by situating them within the political, social, and cultural contexts that have shaped Algerian schools since independence. The second approach, cognitivo-pedagogical in nature, focuses on the philosophical discourse conveyed by the textbooks adopted following the 2003 reform. It examines the nature of the issues raised, the modalities of constructing philosophical knowledge, the intellectual references mobilized, as well as the value system these books seek to promote.
The study relies on a corpus consisting of the textbook collection entitled Philosophical Issues (Ishkâliyât falsafiyya), used in the second and third years of secondary education.

Biography

A Research Director at the Center for Research in Social and Cultural Anthropology (CRASC) in Oran (Algeria), he holds a PhD in philosophy. His research focusing primarily on Sufi discourse and the analysis of cultural and religious transformations in Algeria, with a particular interest in educational issues as well as the content of school curricula in the social sciences and humanities. He has directed and participated in several research projects, including one dedicated to the competency-based approach, and a Dictionary of School Textbooks in the Social Sciences and Humanities (1963-2019). He has also presented numerous scientific papers and published several studies, including: "The Evolution of Themes and Content of Philosophy in Secondary Education," "Philosophy in Educational and University Institutions: Status and Issues," "The Discourse of Citizenship in Algeria through Philosophy Curricula and Textbooks," "The Issue of Algerian Culture between Unity and Plurality," and "Cultural Competence in the Secondary School Philosophy Textbook.

Mustapha HAMDI

intervenant

intervention_summary

Enrolling Students in Private Schools: A Voluntary or Forced Parental Choice?

Since their launch in the 1990s, private schools have struggled to truly establish themselves, both in terms of their numbers and their "pedagogical" quality.
After initially operating "underground," they were officially authorized starting in 2004, driven by an ever-growing social demand and a socioeconomic context that favored private investment.
A series of official regulations was introduced to structure these educational institutions, including the Orientation Law No. 08-04 of January 23, 2008. However, they continued to operate haphazardly until the digitalization of the education sector in 2016, when their students were enrolled and registered on the Ministry of National Education’s platform on an equal footing with public school students.
In 2023, the establishment of new private schools was suspended, and to date, the new regulatory framework (cahier des charges) has not yet been published. Their numbers have remained below the government's initial forecasts. Currently, there are 680 private schools operating across 37 wilayas.
In terms of learning, the academic results of private schools do not significantly differ from those of public school students. Although they follow the official national curricula—supplemented by extracurricular textbooks from private publishing houses—they place a strong emphasis on foreign languages, teaching French and English from the very beginning of schooling as optional subjects authorized by the Ministry of National Education.
Increasingly exorbitant tuition fees and infrastructures that are sometimes too cramped for an educational institution do little to encourage parents to enroll their children, except for those forced to do so for convenience, particularly regarding childcare, among other reasons

Biography

Holder of a Bachelor’s degree in French from the University of Algiers and a Master 1 (formerly Maîtrise) in French as a Foreign Language (FLE) from Blaise-Pascal University – Clermont-Ferrand (France).
Middle and high school French teacher from 1985 to 2000. Primary school French inspector from 2000 to 2015, and Deputy Director at the Ministry of National Education, initially in charge of curricula and subsequently of Pedagogy (2015–2023).

Mustapha MEDJAHDI

intervenant

intervention_summary

Private Education and Schooling in Oran: Selectivity and Training Quality

Biography

Researcher and former president of the Scientific Council of the Centre for Research in Social and Cultural Anthropology (CRASC). His research focuses on youth and their relationship with employment, migration, and information and communication technologies (ICT). He is also interested in early school leaving and violence in schools.

Mohammed BENOUAZANI

intervenant

Biography

Mohamed Benouazani is a Professor of Higher Education in Demography at the Population Department of the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Oran 2 Mohamed Ben Ahmed. He is a researcher specializing in demographic studies, with a particular interest in population transformations in Algeria and the Maghreb region

Brahim TAMETELT

intervenant

intervention_summary

Religious and Complementary Curricula in Free Education Institutions in Ghardaïa: An Analysis of Foundations and a Presentation of the Experience of the Three Institutes (El-Hayat, Ammi Saïd, and El-Islah)

This contribution offers an analytical reading of the reference foundations and educational objectives of the curricula of the three institutes: El-Hayat, Ammi Saïd, and El-Islah in Ghardaïa. These curricula, approved and adopted on 22 Dhu al-Hijjah 1432 AH (November 18, 2011), constitute the primary reference framework for the development of complementary and religious programs within the historic free education institutions of the Mzab Valley. They aim to promote an approach that reconciles authenticity and modernity by taking into account local and denominational specificities, Algerian national anchoring, and civilizational belonging to the Muslim community.
This paper also presents a structured pedagogical approach, broken down into several fundamental stages, which guided the engineering of textbook design to guarantee the quality and uniqueness of these curricula. The process begins with translating broad educational goals into concrete competencies tailored to the demands of the era, society, and the individual. It continues with the development of progression and sequencing matrices designed to ensure the integration of values, the construction of knowledge, and due consideration for the developmental characteristics of the learner. This is followed by the content design phase, which includes teaching-learning and evaluation activities, ensuring their alignment with the lived realities and daily challenges of the students. The process concludes with an expert review phase conducted by academic figures and leading Sheikhs, followed by pilot trials carried out by practicing teachers, before incorporating the proposed observations and enrichments for final validation and approval.
These complementary and religious programs are taught across all schooling levels alongside the national school curriculum, rather than replacing it. They function as supportive educational structures that contribute to shaping a balanced and harmonious learner, capable of reconciling spiritual elevation with efficacy in daily life, while embodying a model suited for coexistence, cooperation, and positive participation in nation-building.

Biography

Associate Professor at the University of Ghardaïa and a specialist in educational sciences, he leads a research team titled "Curriculum Development and Learning Strategies" within the Laboratory of Psychological and Educational Applications. He also serves as the Head of the Department of Curricula and Pedagogical Training at the Cheikh Ammi Saïd Foundation in Ghardaïa. Furthermore, he holds the position of Secretary-General of the Coordination Committee of the Three Institutes of Ghardaïa: El-Hayat, Ammi Saïd, and El-Islah. His scientific publications and academic presentations focus primarily on issues related to education and schooling, notably the question of values in educational curricula, school life, relationships between families and educational institutions, as well as the challenges of pedagogical training and curriculum development.

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