Education in Algeria is free of any charge, but
private schools are authorised by the law. It is also compulsory under
the constitution. All Algerian schools are mixed sex. The academic year
starts in September and ends in June for southern regions and July for
the other parts of the country with two 15 days break in December and
March.
The educational system is structured as follows: the pre-school,
the primary school, the middle school, the tertiary is the secondary
school and at last comes the university level. At five years old, the
Algerian children go to the pre-schools which are generally close to
their houses. At the age of six, they often start their primary
education in the same school. At the end of this stage pupils should
take a final exam to be able to move to the middle school where they
fulfil their four years of study. Later on, they should sit for another
exam called the “BEM” that they must pass for admission to secondary
education which begins at age 15 and ends when students take the
baccalaureate examination before they proceed to one of the
universities, state technical institutes, or vocational training
centres which fall under the responsibility of the Ministry of Higher
Education and Scientific Research, as well as by institutes run by
other ministries. The specific degrees awarded are
determined by the field of study, not the institution. The Ministry of
Higher Education approves the curriculum, which is standardized for
each field of study. Algerian institutions also award graduate degrees
in most fields in which a Licence or DES is awarde