The reality of education in Algeria (1962-1978)

Abstract

Algeria inherited from the French occupation all the manifestations of backwardness and in various social aspects, including the educational aspect, as the French confiscated the lands and properties of the Algerian people, including the endowments, which were the main resource for educational institutions, by converting mosques, madrassahs, and angles to churches, military barracks, colonial houses and shops And others, and the aim was to eliminate the Algerian national character and work to ignore Algerian society, in addition to their attempts to Frenchize Algerian society in the fields of education, administration and the social environment.

After the success in achieving independence in 1962, the Algerian rulers had to work with all possible means to get rid of the remnants of the French colonialism that it had instilled in Algerian society, so the first Algerian government after independence headed by Ahmed Ben Bella (1962-1965) to work on building a modern and independent Algerian state Within the framework of its Arab-Islamic affiliation, his government approved the democracy of education, free of charge for all, and built schools, high schools, and cultural centers all over the country, and despite all the difficulties faced by Ahmed Bin Bella's government and the short period of his rule, it was able to achieve major transformations in the country and in various aspects. Life, especially educational and cultural aspects.

During the era of President Houari Boumediene (1965-1978), the Algerian government also paid great attention to the educational aspect, and large sums were allocated to the education sector within the Algerian development plans. Algeria was able during the Boumediene era to succeed in improving and developing the educational process significantly, and the number of schools and education centers increased. And universities, as a result of the increase in the number of Algerian students, and the number of schools in Algeria in 1978 reached about (8380) schools, and the number of universities became three (University of Algeria, University of Oran, University of Constantine) after Algeria had only one university in 1962. And, if this indicates anything, then it indicates the success of the development programs and plans that were followed by the government of Houari Boumediene, Despite the interest of both presidents in the education sector, the results were more evident during the era of President Houari Boumediene, due to his long term in office.