Washington Post: Algeria expands English language learning as France’s influence declines
The Washington Post said that more than a year after Algeria launched a pilot program to teach English in primary schools, the country praised it as a success and expanded it in a move that reflects a linguistic shift that is expanding in former French colonies throughout Africa.
The Washington Post added that students returning to third- and fourth-grade classrooms this fall will participate in two 45-minute English language classes each week, as the country creates new teacher training programs at universities and looks forward to more transformative changes in the coming years.
The Algerian Minister of Education said last week, “Teaching the English language is a strategic choice in the country’s new education policy,” praising this step, which he considered a tremendous success.
As France’s economic and political influence across Africa diminishes, Algeria is among a longer list of countries that are gradually shifting toward English as a major foreign language.
Two days ago, the French Le Figaro newspaper said that Algeria is continuing its campaign to eliminate the French language in schools, noting that as of the beginning of the new academic year, it will no longer be possible to teach French school programs in private schools in Algeria.
According to the Le Figaro newspaper, the conditions for admission to Algerian universities will be tightened for Algerians who hold a French high school diploma, in a measure considered reciprocal treatment, in response to what France is doing to Algerian students.
