In Algeria, new focus on English in schools rekindles debate over French colonial legacy

In Algeria, new focus on English in schools rekindles debate over French colonial legacy Submitted by Tassa Adidi on Fri, 09/04/2026 - 13:43 Move to make English the first foreign language taught in schools is hailed by some as a sovereign break with France Students wave Algerian national flags during the morning assembly on the first day of school in Algiers, on 19 September 2023 (AFP) Off English is taking up an increasingly prominent place in Algeria ’s education system at the expense of French – a shift that has stirred controversy across the North African country.

This school year, three years after its introduction in primary school, English is becoming the first foreign language taught to pupils, starting from the third grade.

“We have decided to teach English in the third year of primary school, and French (alongside English) starting in the fourth year.

In third year, only English will be taught,” announced the Algerian education minister in July. Until 2023, French was the only foreign language taught in primary school, starting in third grade.

This had been the case since Algeria’s independence in 1962.

But following a decision by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, English – previously introduced only at secondary school level – was added, starting in the third year of primary school, alongside French.

Tebboune argued that English is the language of science and it is therefore important to teach it in school.

The place of English will also be strengthened in secondary school through an increase in teaching hours and a higher coefficient in the end‑of‑cycle exam. In high school, French teaching has not yet been modified.

But English will be further developed, the education minister said. Although the government’s announcements are significant, teachers’ associations have not commented.

The main teachers’ union, Cnapeste, was dissolved last July by the authorities for violating regulations on the right to strike.

The union rejects the accusations, viewing the procedure as an attempt to neutralise an organisation known for its mobilisations.

In the past, Cnapeste had called the promotion of English teaching a hasty decision, arguing that teachers are not sufficiently trained to handle the subject.

On the contrary, the National Federation of Parents of Students Associations – which is generally aligned with the ministry’s position – expressed satisfaction with the reform, considering English “the language that gives access to science and technology, and therefore, ultimately, to better study and job prospects for pupils”.

‘How will the state manage to provide every school with qualified English teachers in sufficient numbers? ’ – Rachida Mahi, Algerian parent Not all parents, however, agree.

Rachida Mahi, a 36‑year‑old engineer living in Algiers, regrets a rushed decision that risks having a disastrous impact on children’s schooling.

She worries about the future of her son, who is starting third grade and will begin learning English this school year.

“How will the state manage to provide every school with qualified English teachers in sufficient numbers? Where does it plan to find them?

” she told Middle East Eye. Like many Algerians of her generation, Mahi speaks very little English.

“It was a secondary language in our schooling, unlike French. I did my engineering studies in French,” she said, adding that she is panicked at the idea of not being able to help her son with his English homework.

‘Improvised measures’ At the end of French colonisation in 1962, Arabic was established as Algeria’s national and official language. To definitively erase the colonial linguistic legacy, education was gradually Arabised.

This policy reached its peak in 1991 with the adoption of a law generalising Arabic in all areas of public life and education. But Arabisation was not entirely successful.

Why does Arabic have such an image problem in France? Read More » At university, only law and social sciences were Arabised.

Scientific fields such as medicine or engineering continued to be taught in French, due to the lack of suitable teaching resources and the shortage of teachers trained in Arabic.

Further, leading scholarly journals are still largely accessible only in foreign languages – primarily French and English.

President Tebboune chose in 2025 to progressively replace French with English in medical studies, calling it a “wise” decision that would align Algerian higher education with international standards and global scientific research, where English dominates.

Salah Derradji, a specialist in language didactics and former university rector, is sceptical about the new measure.

He told MEE that he has long supported the generalisation of English at university and its gradual introduction at other levels of education. But, he warned, “This project must be carried out thoughtfully.

And that is not the case today. ” He argues that the Algerian president made “a political decision” and believes that it is impossible to apply such a measure overnight “with a magic wand”.

“You cannot train teachers in a few weeks and send them into classrooms. You first need qualified trainers,” he said, regretting the absence of broad consultation involving specialists.

Sharing his view, Rabeh Sebaa, former professor of sociology and anthropology at the University of Oran, tells MEE that “Algeria does not have the means to teach English – or teach in English – whether in schools or universities.

” In 2022, as it prepared to introduce English in primary school, the Algerian education ministry announced a major recruitment campaign for 60,000 teachers, targeting university graduates in English language and literature, as well as interpretation.

‘This project must be carried out thoughtfully.

And that is not the case today’ – Salah Derradji, language didactics specialist The operation, however, drew criticism from education unions, who denounced the recruitment of people without pedagogical experience and who were trained hastily.

“My daughter, who is entering secondary school this year, still does not express herself well in English,” Hamid Hani, a 42‑year‑old parent from Bejaia, told MEE.

“She had the same English teacher for two years – a young woman, inexperienced and unable to manage a classroom.

“This teacher admitted to me during a meeting that she had to manage on her own to find teaching materials and organise her lessons.

” Furious, Hani accuses the authorities of playing with children’s futures by multiplying “improvised measures”.

Ahmed Tessa, an education specialist and author of a book on the status of French in Algerian schools, agrees.

“Honestly, how can one expect proper language teaching when you recruit university graduates and send them into classrooms without at least two years of initial training – the minimum needed to teach well,” he told MEE.

Tessa argues that the new measure is “an ideological rather than pedagogical decision”.

Rejection of French heritage The government’s announcement has triggered a broader debate over the legacy of French colonialism and Algeria’s relationship with France.

El Hachemi Djaaboub is a former minister from the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP), an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, and known for his critical stance towards French influence.

He argued that postponing French teaching is an act of sovereignty and accused Tessa of serving foreign interests.

The downgrading of the language of Molière in Algerian schools comes amid persistent diplomatic tensions between Algeria and France, fuelled in 2024 by President Emmanuel Macron’s support for Morocco ’s claim of sovereignty over Western Sahara.

The former Spanish colony, largely controlled by Morocco, is also claimed by the Sahrawi independence‑seeking Polisario Front, which is backed by Algiers. ‘We must put an end to France’s colonial legacy.

Even President Macron speaks more English than French abroad’ – Abderrazak Makri, former president of the MSP In France, some right‑wing and far‑right media have criticised Algiers’s decision to promote English, seeing it as an attempt to reduce the French cultural and political influence in the country.

In Algeria, social‑media conversations suggest that part of the population now regards French as a colonial leftover to be cast aside. Some even call for the complete suppression of French teaching.

For Abderrazak Makri, former president of the MSP, the change must be radical. “We must put an end to France’s colonial legacy.

Even President Macron speaks more English than French abroad. Today, English is the universal language; it is time for Algerians to adopt it and align themselves with great nations,” he said in 2022.

A few political parties, such as the Rally for Culture and Democracy and the Workers’ Party, are, by contrast, opposed to downgrading French, arguing that language teaching should be complementary and kept away from ideological quarrels.

Analysing positions hostile to the presence of French in education, Sebaa speaks of “visceral, ideologically driven postures”.

“Some of their promoters studied in English-speaking universities and consider English an international language, whereas French symbolises colonial domination,” he told MEE.

France's nuclear tests in Algeria: A colonial legacy that still radiates 60 years later Read More » Author of a book analysing Algerians’ relationship with French, the sociologist rejects the notion that colonial schooling significantly contributed to the “francisation” of Algerians, whether culturally or linguistically.

At the time, he noted, only a small share of Algerian children were in school – less than 20 percent at the time of independence.

Sebaa added that Algerians who lived under colonial rule saw French rather as a means of social advancement and cultural promotion.

He pointed to the emergence, at the time, of Algerian literature written in French as evidence. One of its most emblematic figures, Kateb Yacine, famously described French as “a war booty”.

According to Tessa, this heritage is now threatened. He warns that downgrading French will have harmful consequences in many respects.

He particularly fears a drying‑up of cultural production in French and an erasure of collective memory expressed in this language.

The educator also warns of Algeria’s distancing from its francophone geopolitical environment and a rupture with millions of children and grandchildren of the diaspora, living mostly in France and Quebec.

Currently, according to the International Organisation of La Francophonie, Algeria is the third‑largest francophone country in the world, behind France and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

About 15.6 million Algerians reportedly speak French – about 33 percent of the population.

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