Algeria bans foreign curricula in private schools and makes Arabic mandatory
Algeria has ended the teaching of foreign school curricula in private institutions, marking a new milestone in its move to indigenise education in the North African state.
Decree 26‑310 introduces stricter conditions for the accreditation, operation and oversight of private schools.
Its most significant provision is the prohibition of foreign curricula, including the French programme that had long been offered informally by several dozen establishments.
Under the new rules, Arabic becomes mandatory as the language of instruction for all subjects, except foreign languages.
Schools must use nationally approved textbooks and prepare pupils exclusively for Algerian state examinations.
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The decree also stipulates that private institutions may not enter into any cooperation agreement with foreign bodies or schools without prior written authorisation from the education minister.
Private schools have three years to comply, after which they face sanctions, including closure.
This tightening of control over private education is part of a broader state strategy aimed at reasserting linguistic sovereignty and reducing the influence of French, widely seen as a legacy of the colonial period.
France ruled Algeria from 1830 to 1962 and only left the country after a bloody war of independence that left up to a million people dead.
Native Algerian Muslims were subject to discriminatory measures by the French administration, which settled the country with Europeans and ruled it as an extension of Metropolitan France.
Since 2021, inspectors have carried out surprise visits to ensure that private schools were not prioritising the French curriculum, which some establishments had been teaching exclusively.
In 2023, schools linked to the French Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE) were ordered to withdraw from its labelling system, under threat of closure or legal action.
The new decree also comes amid a major linguistic shift. Last month, three years after its introduction in primary education, English has become the first foreign language taught to pupils, starting from the third grade.
The long‑running debate over the place of French in Algerian education has intensified in recent years, fuelled by diplomatic tensions between Algiers and Paris.
Critics warn that the end of foreign programmes may leave many pupils struggling. Thousands of families relied on the French curriculum as a pathway to higher education in France. Teachers say some students, educated almost entirely in French, now find it difficult to follow the national syllabus.
Others denounce rushed measures, arguing that the education system is not prepared and that these decisions stem more from political motives aimed at breaking with French influence than from a coherent educational strategy.
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