The minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Mr. Kamel Baddari, said that “quality higher education” will be the slogan of the academic year 2024-2025 to strengthen the Algerian university status.
On Monday, September 23rd, the minister, invited on the Algerian Television, explained that “the Algerian university holds an honourable position both in its educational and research aspects, for which preservation is necessary through the quality of higher education and pristine supervision.”
In the same context, he invited the university community to continue their efforts that have enabled the upgrade of the Algerian university, quoting the praise of the president of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, during the last meeting of the Council of Ministers, to all the officials of the higher education sector, including teachers and administrators, for their contribution to the advancement of the Algerian university at both regional and international scales.
On the occasion of the start of the academic year scheduled for Tuesday, the minister said that this academic year will see a strengthening of the network of national higher schools, led by the inauguration of the National Higher School of Cybersecurity at the Scientific and Technological Pole in Sidi Abdellah (Algiers), which will begin the teaching of this sensitive specialty from Tuesday. He emphasized that the choices made by excellent baccalaureate holders tended to be towards national higher schools and medical sciences.
The minister also revealed that the new academic year will see the reception of 31 000 pedagogical seats and 12 000 beds, which reflects the growing interest in students, especially with the reinforcement of university teachers recruitment to one professor for 22 students instead of 25 students, as well as the increase in the sector’s budget between 2020 and 2024 by 60%.
Further, the minister of higher education highlighted that the sector is now focusing on bringing the university closer to its economic environment so that each graduate can have the opportunity to be active in the market and respond to the problems of society by contributing to economic development through employment creation, as well as creativity and innovation.
He added that a new entrepreneurial environment has been created from 117 incubators to support the holders of innovative ideas, 107 entrepreneurship development centres, as well as the support of these students, not to mention the objective of the sector of supporting multiple university institutions to upgrade to a fourth generation university, during this academic year.
Regarding the strengthening of the Algerian university’s visibility, the minister spoke about the registration of thousands of foreign students in Algerian universities during the current academic year, following the hashtag “Study in Algeria,” to make the Algerian university a hoped-for destination for students from various countries, including African, Arab, and Asian.
As for university sport, the minister said that “the sector is working to develop it by creating the university sports championship, which will enable the rise of a category of young students who will make Algeria a shinning country in various competitions, especially international ones. This was ordered by the president of the Republic during the last ministry council meeting to give university sport its place and put the Algerian students in the forefront of sports promotion.”
The minister also mentioned the digitalization of the sector, under the slogan “Efficiency and simplification”, where 60 digital platforms have been developed, allowing students, especially new ones, to register with zero paper, as well as rationalizing expenses, whether for registration or university services, in the areas of transportation and food.