Algeria -
Student Elias Ismail Ben Amer, one of the brilliant mathematics students in the "Algeria Baccalaureate 2021", was greatly fascinated by information technology since his childhood, so his first dream remained to join a prestigious university abroad to complete his postgraduate studies in the latest disciplines of computer media.
He told Al Jazeera Net that "artificial intelligence is a revolution that the world is witnessing today, like previous scientific revolutions, and it is clear that it will make great changes to human life and Algeria in particular."
He believes that "this field facilitates many jobs and tasks in which a person used to find some kind of difficulty or other routine household chores, as well as occupations that posed a danger to his life."
Student Ben Amer was very fond of information technology since childhood (Al-Jazeera)
Since the field of artificial intelligence is mainly based on mathematics, which is a subject he excelled in throughout public education, his first concern became access to it, no matter the sacrifices that cost him, until he achieved a grade of excellence (18.21 out of 20) in the baccalaureate degree within the mathematics division.
Fortunately for him, his university transfer coincided with the inauguration of Algeria earlier this month for the first Arab and African university specialized in artificial intelligence engineering, which was a promising gateway to work on realizing the dream of the persistent student.
He was accepted into the "High National School" among 200 other students for the first batch, which was known to compete with 8,000 candidates, according to a statement by the Algerian Minister of Higher Education.
The ministry appointed a distinguished team of experts, with the contribution of the scholars of the Algerian community abroad, that worked on preparing qualitative pedagogical programs that respond to international standards and the requirements of the labor market.
She revealed foreign accompaniment to 5 countries in the first stage, namely China, the United Kingdom, Japan, France and the United States of America, to make the university level - which is taught in English - globally.
The student, Ben Amer, explained that the conditions of training and social support are very motivating for his colleagues, considering joining the Higher School as a golden scientific opportunity granted to them by the Algerian state, and it will reap its practical fruits soon.
He pointed out that artificial intelligence is not widespread in Algeria compared to other countries, so he hoped that the new university would be a turning point for his country towards qualifying highly qualified, specialized engineers, which constitutes a common aspiration he shares with all his comrades.
Bin Amer expressed his personal aspiration to create applications to facilitate professional communication, such as managing the relationship between the patient and his doctor.
The university program with international standards and the supervision of teachers from inside and outside Algeria (Al-Jazeera)
national strategy
On the other hand, an official source in the higher education sector revealed that Algeria has developed its national strategy in artificial intelligence (2020-2030), which stipulates within an ambitious program the establishment of a national university to train outstanding engineers at the secondary level.
He explained in a statement to Al Jazeera Net, that this university follows the elite school system, graduating engineers with high theoretical knowledge of the foundations and techniques of artificial intelligence, in addition to efficiency in its applications, and the ability to find advanced solutions in all aspects of social and economic life, after 5 years of distinguished education.
He stressed that the productive and innovative dimension is integrated into the teaching program, so that the student learns how to analyze his surroundings and know complex issues, then move on to programming smart solutions for them, by registering patents, and then to developing a product and an emerging institution.
technology city
On the potential of the Algerian University to frame this contemporary and precise specialization, the informed source stressed that Algeria possesses a huge reservoir of competencies in the field of artificial intelligence, whether inside or outside the country through the largest universities, companies and international research centers.
Those in charge of the project to establish the National Higher School of Artificial Intelligence designed a 5-year teaching program that incorporated the latest developments in its various branches, in addition to solid foundations in mathematics, computer science, business and innovation courses.
The source added that the students will do training with economic companies during their engineering course, while professors who are qualified in teaching methods in this field have been selected.
And they will participate in teaching and courses, in person or remotely, by well-known Algerian and foreign scientific competencies.
Algeria relies on this qualitative university first, and then on the technological pole later, to establish a technological city that will be a pillar of an industry and an economy based on artificial intelligence and advanced technology, to finally graduate from the dependence on the hydrocarbon economy, the source tells Al Jazeera Net.
$80 billion in resources
For his part, Professor Mohamed Lamine Kharfi stressed that the world is currently witnessing a profound transformation in light of the digital revolution or the industrial revolution, and artificial intelligence represents the new engine of the global economy.
Studies expect the global economy to grow by about $15 trillion over the next 10 years thanks to artificial intelligence, and Algeria will not be an exception to this rule, as it can develop its economy by about $80 billion, compared to the population index, according to Kharfi.
He explained that more than 150 countries have adopted a national strategy in artificial intelligence, including those that went to create a full ministry for the sector, while the number of institutions based on artificial intelligence globally increased by 270 percent within 4 years.
Reports indicate that more than 90% of leading companies have invested in artificial intelligence in order to increase productivity, as it is applied in all fields, from oil and gas to agriculture, through all industries and even tourism.
Kharfi - one of the university's project engineers - pointed out that Algeria has set national priorities, namely health, food security and energy security, to link them with artificial intelligence, to reduce oil exploration expenses and achieve significant growth in other fields.
It also seeks to invest in data science and artificial intelligence in order to improve planning, forecasting and government services provided to citizens, as he put it.
Regarding the conditions for actually benefiting from this experience, Kharfi said that Algeria is currently working on providing a high-level study and adopting an applied study with economic companies.
It also works to provide the appropriate atmosphere for the graduates to remain in the country and benefit from their energies, through the establishment of new institutions and real projects that would contribute to the development of the national economy, improving public services and finding effective solutions to the needs of society.