In this interview with Echorouk, Aboubakr Benbouzid, the Minister of Education, announces the determination of his ministerial department to provide four million pupils in Algeria with free textbooks in the framework of the policy of solidarity, stressing that he is intent on slashing their prices by 10%.

• “The Education Ministry issued strict instructions to prevent the use of textbooks which contain errors. Ending the phenomenon of errors has become our priority”, he says.
• Ben Bouzid explains that the new system of compensation, which is being considered, will adopt the new concessions after the increases that came with the passing of the basic law, as increases in the compensation of guarding and correcting exam papers will be adopted as well.
• What’s new in the textbook this year? What is the number of pupils who will benefit from the free books?
• –This year the ministry provides about 62 million textbooks in order to cover over 100% of the widgets, as we note a reduction of the books prices by 10%. The number of pupils who will benefit from the free books are 4 million, the equivalent of more than 50% of the total number of pupils.
• *Could you please give us figures about the educational structures which will open this year?
• – This year the sector received 450 primary schools, 402 middle schools, 137 secondary schools, 609 school restaurants, 271 institutions of the middle and secondary schools with half internal system, and 21 secondary and middle schools with internal system.
• The new week end caused a problem regarding the school year’s program, does your ministry respond to the demands of the unions by mitigating the programs?
• – Studies and extensive consultation with unions on the new week end and the regulatory measures did not show any problem in accommodating the programs; on the contrary, the organizations were developed in this framework starting from the valuing time of teaching and best exploitation of the educational program in order to improve the educational level.
• What is the secret behind the large number of holidays, autumn holiday, two in winter and spring?
• – The pupils will be granted a holiday after every 6 and 7 weeks of study.