Elimination of secondary subjects from the BEM and the baccalaureate in Algeria

The removal of secondary subjects from the BEM and baccalaureate exams has prompted unions and experts to react and analyze the impacts on students and the education system.

Recent announcements by the Minister of National Education, Mohamed Seghir Saâdaoui, regarding the elimination of non-specialized secondary subjects in the final year of secondary school, have reignited the debate on reforming the Brevet d’enseignement moyen (BEM) and baccalaureate exams. Presented as a way to lighten the academic workload for students and improve the quality of learning, the decision has been generally well received. However, it raises questions within the educational community, particularly concerning the practical details of its implementation and the subjects affected.

Unions and specialists in the sector consider the reorganization of subjects in middle and high school to be an important step towards a more coherent education system. The goal is twofold: to reduce academic pressure and refocus teaching on core subjects. This will better prepare students for the demands of higher education and the professional world. In this context, Hassan Belbaki, national secretary of the National Union of Education Workers (SNTE), believes that the announced measures generally point towards a qualitative improvement in assessment. The elimination of certain secondary subjects not directly related to specializations, particularly in the final year of high school, should, in his opinion, ” help reduce the pressure on students and strengthen the relevance of official examinations .” Regarding the BEM (Brevet d’Enseignement Moyen – Middle School Certificate), Belbaki emphasizes that streamlining the curriculum could involve eliminating certain pedagogical approaches deemed unproductive. He points out, in this regard, that scheduling several humanities subjects on the same exam day has, in the past, ” generated excessive fatigue among candidates, affecting their performance .” In addition to streamlining the content, the union representative suggests shifting the BEM (Brevet d’Enseignement Moyen) towards an assessment of acquired knowledge, allowing for the measurement of students’ actual skills in core subjects. ” Such a shift would promote an approach focused on mastering knowledge rather than accumulating grades ,” he explains. He adds, ” This change would help alleviate the psychological pressure associated with numerical results and limit the need for private tutoring .” Along the same lines, Belbaki advocates for a review of the weighting of subjects, particularly in middle school, to ensure a more coherent academic path better suited to students’ abilities.

Rethinking the organization of the baccalaureate

Regarding the baccalaureate, he proposes a two-stage system. The first stage, in the second year of secondary school, would be devoted to secondary subjects, while the second stage, in the third year, would focus exclusively on core subjects. He argues that such a system would ” reduce exam duration, lighten the workload for candidates, and strengthen the pedagogical coherence of this crucial assessment .” Extending this line of thought, Belbaki also emphasizes the importance of creating new programs related to digital technologies, such as computer science, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. These programs, he says, ” could contribute to the development of students’ intellectual and analytical skills, provided they are adapted to the specificities of the national context .” Finally, he stresses the need to implement the summary sheet system from the first year of secondary school. This would help ensure continuous student monitoring, reduce absenteeism, and improve the credibility of pass rates.

An approach based on educational criteria

Youssef Ramdani, an education specialist, believes that the announced guidelines reflect a desire to build a more balanced school system, better adapted to students’ needs. He specifies that the streamlining of the curriculum is being rigorously monitored by the National Commission for the Quality of Education. This commission, he explains, is composed of experts, inspectors, and members of specialized educational bodies. Ramdani affirms that the approach aims to break with the logic of content accumulation in favor of a skills-based approach. The objective, he says, is to enable students to develop a deeper and more lasting understanding of knowledge, by emphasizing the analysis and appropriation of that knowledge. Along the same lines, Ramdani underlines that the introduction of specialized digital programs is part of a forward-looking vision, in line with global technological changes. It would offer students; He continued, “prospects in promising fields, while strengthening their chances of long-term professional integration.”

Reforms that need to be defined and consolidated

Boualem Amoura, Secretary General of the National Autonomous Union of Education and Training Workers (SATEF), emphasizes the importance of accompanying these announcements with clearer communication. He indicates that the success of the reforms will largely depend on the clarity of the proposed measures, both in terms of the issues involved and the concrete modalities of their implementation. To this end, he insists on the need to establish a truly representative commission.

To achieve this, it must be composed of “field professionals, educational supervisors, teachers, and specialists capable of providing a realistic analysis of the education system’s shortcomings and proposing solutions that align with the realities of schools.” In this regard, Amoura points out that in-depth discussions have already taken place within the framework of social dialogue, in consultation with the unions. “Structured and well-reasoned proposals were formulated at that time with the aim of sustainably improving the education system,” the union representative recalls. Their effective implementation remains “a key factor in ensuring the buy-in of stakeholders in the sector and guaranteeing the success of the reforms undertaken,” concludes Boualem Amoura.