Higher Education in Algeria: Achievements and challenges- 1963 to 2017

This paper is based on the case study of the higher education sector in Algeria. Around the world higher education is under pressure to change. It is growing fast and its contribution to economic growth is vital. Universities are mainly expected to create knowledge; improve equity among population; and respond to students. Furthermore, it has been largely documented that in developing countries, higher education is recognized as a key force for modernization and development. Consequently, this has caused an increase in the demand for its access, accompanied by several challenges: students are asking more and more for quality education and decent jobs; the labor market is also looking for adapted and new skills more in line with the evolution of the production process. Government is, currently, faced with les resources to allocate to the sector which has been a top priority in the public policies implemented since independence in 1963. Broadly speaking, Algeria’s higher education sector has been marked by two major policy reforms since its independence. The most recent of these – the adoption of the three-cycle degree higher - education framework known as the “LMD System” (License / Bachelor -Master - Doctorate) – has been in place since 2004 / 2005. “Massification” was a core part of both reforms, in part motivated by the demographic reality of a large youth population, but also by explicit policy choices undertaken by the government. The application of massification policies in Algeria led to a trend of favoring quantity over quality. To accommodate what is called in Algeria – democratization of Higher Education – that is the increased number of registered students, there has been major achievements, particularly in terms of infrastructure. In imitating European policies for higher education, policy makers in Algeria have focused on form and ignored substance. The plan of the paper is organized as follows: the next section gives the legal framework of the tertiary education. The second section discusses an overview of the different stages of the development of higher education through the various policies during the period 1963 to 2017, followed by a comment on the major indicators of the sector in terms of infrastructure and human resources allocated to support the policies. The sources of funding will be reviewed to determine how important has been the policy of higher education in the development process. And the final part will deal with the main challenges of higher education in Algeria. How globalization is affecting the sector? Can the public policy of higher education continue as it is with many subsidies or education expenditures? Do they need to be reviewed to make them more efficient and in line with the current financial constraints. And finally, a conclusion will be offered at the end of this paper