Two ministries in Algeria decided to end the use of the French language and generalize the Arabic language in official correspondence and teaching, in conjunction with an escalating crisis between Algeria and Paris.
On Thursday, the Ministry of Vocational Training published instructions on its Facebook page, by Minister Yassin Merabi, stating, "You are required to use the Arabic language in the field of teaching, and all correspondences issued by your interests."
"I attach the utmost importance to the strict implementation of this directive," Merabi added.
In a similar way, the Ministry of Youth and Sports published on Facebook on Thursday also instructions to Minister Abdel-Razzaq Sabbak, stating that it requires "the use of the Arabic language in all internal correspondence of the ministry, starting from the beginning of next November."
It was not immediately clear whether this decision was limited to these two ministries only, or if it was a general trend for all sectors in the country.
With the exception of the Ministry of Defense, all ministries in Algeria use French in most of their internal correspondence and even in their official statements, despite the fact that the constitution stipulates that “Arabic is the first national and official language, and the Berber language is an official and second national language.”
The decision of the two ministries coincided with an escalating crisis with France, after statements by its President Emmanuel Macron were described as offensive and prompted Algeria to recall its ambassador in Paris and to prevent French military flights from flying in its airspace.
Experts and historians say that the spread of the French language in Algeria is due to its imposition during the colonial era that lasted 132 years (1830 -1962) and the fight against the occupation of the Arabic language, as well as the delay in implementing laws to Arabize the administration and education after independence.