Arabic version: الجزائر تعزّز مكانة الإنجليزية في المدارس الابتدائية

According to Allafrica, Algeria’s 2026-27 school year will begin with English becoming the first foreign language taught in primary schools, replacing French in that position. Education Minister Mohamed Seghir Saadaoui announced in July that English classes will start in the third year of primary school, when pupils are around eight years old. French lessons will begin a year later. “In third year, only English will be taught,” Saadaoui said.

English was introduced alongside French in Algerian primary schools in 2022, but the new curriculum gives it priority. The reform forms part of a broader move toward English in Algeria, where French remains associated with colonial history. Algeria was under French rule from 1830 to 1962 and was formally incorporated into France in 1848. French was imposed in administration and formal education, while Arabic remained the language of the majority.

After independence, Algeria adopted policies making Arabic the official national language, although French remained prevalent in academia for decades. The country considered expanding English in the early 1990s, when primary pupils could choose English or French as a second language. That plan was later stopped, and English was removed from the syllabus until 2019, when the education minister proposed promoting English in universities.

The shift also reflects a wider regional trend. Morocco began introducing English in public schools in 2023 after it had largely been limited to private institutions. A 2021 British Council-commissioned survey of Moroccans aged 15 to 25 found that 40 percent considered English the most important language to learn, compared with 10 percent for French. In Tunisia, a 2020 Afrobarometer survey found around 68 percent of respondents considered English the most important language for young people, while about 13 percent selected French.