Percée inédite de l’université algérienne  – Le Jeune Indépendant

Significant progress.

In the space of a few years, the country’s universities have managed to establish themselves on the international scene, particularly in reference rankings, such as the Times Higher Education and the QS World University Rankings. A progression that the president of the National Committee for promoting the visibility and ranking of higher education establishments, Professor Hakim Harek, attributed to collective work and a real political will to reposition the Algerian university at the heart of global scientific competitiveness.

Professor Harek welcomed the spectacular leap made by Algerian establishments in the QS 2025 ranking, declaring on National Radio: “I am particularly happy to see 46 Algerian universities appear in this ranking. This places our country in first place on the Arab and Maghreb scale, compared to only 17 universities in previous years. »

He added that this result can be explained by the mobilization of players in the sector, the rise of applied research programs, as well as the orientation of university policy towards training, innovation and sustainability. Stressing that “this development is above all the fruit of hard work in the field of scientific research and sustainable development, two priority areas which have contributed to improving the academic reputation of our universities and strengthening their international partnerships”.

In the wake of this dynamic, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research launched a national visibility strategy with the objective of sustainably positioning Algerian universities among major global institutions. This approach is based on the establishment of local commissions responsible for drawing up an inventory of the strengths and specificities of each establishment, in order to adapt the objectives to the criteria of international rankings and strengthen their presence in the most prestigious rankings. The action plan also includes the modernization of evaluation tools, improvement of the referencing of national scientific journals and the full digitization of publications.

Digitization and indexing

One of the most strategic projects concerns the promotion of the national scientific heritage. The president of the National Committee revealed that 900 journals and more than 265,000 scientific articles have already been integrated into a national digital platform, designed to centralize, index and protect Algerian scientific production. Harek explained: “This platform ensures the international visibility of our researchers, while guaranteeing the protection of content. It relies on advanced technologies capable of detecting and preventing all forms of plagiarism. »

The ultimate objective is to have Algerian scientific journals recognized in the most influential international databases. Some journals currently classified in category C are already supported to move to category B, then A, thanks to targeted training and close monitoring provided by the ministry and academic establishments.

Despite the progress made, the Chairman of the Committee recognizes that the road remains long. He believes that improving the ranking should not be seen as an end in itself, but as an indicator of the dynamism and quality of the university system. Specifying that this also reflects “the capacity of our universities to participate in the global economy, attract students, teachers and foreign partners”.

Academic reputation remains at the heart of the ranking criteria. It is based both on the volume and quality of publications, peer recognition, but also on the international influence of establishments through student mobility and research cooperation.

For Professor Harek, the Algerian university is at a pivotal moment in its history. After having made up for a certain delay in terms of visibility, it must now consolidate its achievements and follow a logic of continuous excellence.

The priority is to make the quality of training, applied research and digital innovation sustainable pillars of its competitiveness. Maintaining that “our universities must now think globally, while acting locally. Their mission is no longer limited to training, but to produce useful knowledge, to respond to the needs of society and to establish themselves as actors of national development.

However, he wanted to emphasize that the rise of Algerian universities in international rankings is not a simple statistical indicator, on the contrary it embodies a reconquest of scientific and intellectual sovereignty.

Thus, the Algerian university, long confined to an internal academic role, today asserts itself as a full-fledged player in knowledge diplomacy, capable of dialogue on an equal basis with institutions from both the North and the South. A turning point that Professor Harek sums up in one sentence: “It is no longer just the Algerian university that is opening up to the world, it is now the world that is starting to look towards the Algerian university. »