| Education System in Algeria |
Education is mandatory and free for all Algerian children from age 6 through the 9 years of primary and lower secondary school that follow. Despite this, a number of children still fail to attend and the situation is worse for girls. The medium of education is Arabic. An average school day is 6 hours.
Less than half the children who complete primary school take their studies further. At secondary level there are 3 streams, namely general, specialized and technical / vocational. Those in the first 2 of these study for 3 years before writing their baccalauréat de l'enseignement secondaire that is the key to tertiary education. Technical / vocational education may last between 1 and 4 years, and aims to prepare students for an active life in industry. It may also lead to higher education in certain cases.
The Algerian vocational training system is steadily being transformed to one that is more in harmony with the nation’s needs and an emerging more progressive employment environment. This process is supported by a number of other nations, as it continues to be in active dialogue with local traditional and religious values too.
Algeria has a wide range of universities, and other centers of higher education too including specialized and teacher training institutes. Degrees awarded are based on the field of study, and curriculums are standardized by the ministry of higher education.
