The “American International School” Officially Opens in Algeria

The President of the Republic, Mr Abdelaziz Bouteflika, signed in accordance with Article 91-9 of the Constitution, a Presidential decree pertaining to the ratification of the Agreement between the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Algeria and the USA government regarding the opening of an American International School in Algiers, signed in Washington on 29 December 2015.

This agreement was endorsed at the Embassy of Algeria in Washington by Ambassador Madjid Bouguerra, and US Under Secretary of State for Near-East affairs, Anne Patterson.

According to the ambassador, this school, open to Algerians and foreigners alike, will have a program in English in keeping with the American educational curriculum, and will also include modules in Arabic language, history and geography of Algeria and its culture.

According to the communication department  of the US diplomatic mission, the Embassy of the United States in Algiers and the Office of schools abroad of the US State Department are working together to establish an independent school with an American syllabus and a program for the teaching of English by September 2016.

According to the same source, admission will hinge on the basis of student performance and testing and the initial proposal is to open a primary school from 40 to 55 students up to sixth grade. The number is expected to reach 80 students in June 2017 and a College would be launched in December 2019 and a high-school should follow suit in 2023.

Indeed, the presidential decree published in the Official Gazette of 23 March 2016 gave the formal green-light to the creation of the American International School in Algiers. 

Such a School aims to educate American students and other students from English-speaking institutions, including students of Algerian nationality, in particular, the children of state employees called upon to serve abroad.

The curriculum excludes theological education is that the curriculum for Algerians is the teaching of the Arabic language, of Algerian culture, history and geography of their own country and that the content of these modules should be the ‘subject of close coordination between the School Board and the Ministry of National Education and delivered by Algerian teachers who will be submitted to prior pedagogical assessment on the part of the Education Ministry. The diplomas awarded by this School will be duly recognized in Algeria.

The school is authorized to receive funds from the American Non-profit Foundation called “Friends of the American International School in Algeria”, based in the United States, as well as from the State Department of United States of America and other sources, if any. 

In a bid to live up to any requests from students for whom English is the mother tongue, the School may be composed of a pre-school section, a nursery school and levels of classes from the first to the twelfth year.

In addition, the school establishes the annual program of school holidays for pupils by taking into account national and religious holidays in Algeria. This holiday program must be submitted to the Ministry of National Education.

The faculty and school staffs who meet the recruitment requirements can be hired by the School’s Board locally or from abroad and their salaries and other benefits are paid from the budget of the School. 

The School has an employment contract in accordance with Algerian law and regulations. The Algerian side facilitates the issuance of entry visas to Algeria and residence permits and work permits to the school staff.

The school collects tuition fees set by the School’s Board. The School Board may decide to exempt some students from tuition fees or reduce their amount for some students on the basis of their financial situation. The School Board has the right to establish scholarship programs. Furthermore, tuition fees for the benefit of Algerian students are calculated and paid in Algerian Dinars.