Algerian Education Minister: pressure on junior high schools to be ended in first trimester

More than 8.5 million pupils are expected to join schools for the season 2008-2009 though it is said it is that available educational facilities can not afford this number.

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• National education sector will receive 3,910,538 pupils at different levels. The available structures in this regard are as follows:
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• 3,670 new classrooms for primary schools compared to 2,811 in 2007.
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• 383 new junior high schools compared to 193 in 2007.
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• 112 new high schools compared to 67 in 2007.
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• Because of that, pupils at different levels will be received in improved conditions compared to previous years. Junior high schools will know a passing transit period which will constitute pressure as two categories of primary schools’ pupils will go to junior high schools. There will be no pressure after the first trimester as all scheduled institutions will be ready.
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• I state in this regard that all measures have been taken to receive all pupils and even by using primary and high schools.
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• Your Excellency, you previously talked about 400 ready junior high schools to cover deficit for this school year. Will they be ready on time?
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• Firstly, I want to point out that the number of scheduled junior high schools is 421. Most of them are ready expect few of them expected to be operational in the end of October. This year, we received 383 junior high schools and 3,027 classrooms.
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• With every new school year, there is the problem of books. Will every pupil get a book and will needy ones be given books for free?
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• The ministry has been working on producing as much as possible of school books. Now, it covers 100 percent of needs while production did not exceed 55 percent of demands last year.
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• In 2008, the National Office of School Publications produced 40 million books as well as 18 million in storage houses. The total number of available books for pupils will be 58 million. Books will be given to 3,870,350 needy pupils for free. A total of 5.6 billion Algerian dinars have been allocated for that.
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• How much has the government and the National Education Ministry allocated to support needy pupils?
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• The government allocated more than 40 billion DA as part of dining halls, boarding schools, books, transportation, healthy food and school tools.
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• What about the teachers on strike…you said there would be no political decision to employ them. Days later, the spokesman for the Algerian government Boukerzaza said those teachers will be employed with contracts in the beginning of the school year?
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• The positions of the National Education Ministry have always been in conformity with the Algerian laws. This position will be the same in different situations relating to our sector. In this regard, I let you know that I ordered my department to receive a group of the teachers’ representatives on September 8th, 2008. We said we are ready to renew the teachers’ contracts according to each speciality. As for political decisions in this regard, the National Education Minister is a member of the cabinet and implement the Algerian Republic’s policy and laws.
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• Will teachers get pay raise?
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• Teachers’ salaries were increased, few months ago. Because of that, it is too early to deal with pay raise now except what would special laws come up with. They are now in the process of consideration.
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• Last season, the Baccalaureate candidates protested against what they called “heavy programmes.” Because of that, the Education Ministry set up commissions to reduce them…Are there fears of having the same story this school year?
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• The ministry prepared more than 155 programmes in 5 years. Because of that, it is obvious that some slight mistakes are made but they were fixed this year. The challenge for the ministry is to reach management of high quality, then to handle educational issues on their right time.
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• What would happen to unsuccessful candidates for the Baccalaureate exams who are not allowed to study at schools any more?
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• Firstly, I would like to say that the candidates of the old system who failed in the session of June 2008 did not succeed in June 2007 as well. That means, they will have taking the Baccaluareate exams at least for the third time in June 2009. This situation is forbidden in the old and new system. That’s why; they can not join school again. Exams in old form will remain for 5 years as free candidates.
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• As for unsuccessful candidates in June 2008 belonging to the old system, they are all allowed to repeat the third year in high school. Education directors in all provinces have been given an instruction in this regard.