National Solidarity Minister Opens School Year for 40,000 Students
Minister of National Solidarity, Family, and Women's Issues, Souria Mouloudji, officially inaugurated the 2026-2027 academic year for students with special needs on Monday. The ceremony took place at a specialized school for hearing-impaired children in Baraki, Algiers. This year, more than 40,000 students with disabilities are enrolling across 277 specialized institutions and 1745 special classes within the national education sector, which notably includes the opening of 200 new special classes.
A significant development accompanying the new school year is the introduction of the digital platform “Murafiqakom” for the first time. This online space is designed for parents of students with hearing and visual disabilities, enabling them to monitor their children’s academic progress and access various educational data and services electronically. This initiative aims to enhance parental engagement and provide seamless support for students and their families.
Furthermore, Algeria is seeing the opening of specialized centers dedicated to caring for children with autism across the nation, an achievement noted as a first in the country's history. These centers, established under the directives of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, will admit children from the age of three, providing them with educational and pedagogical programs structured according to scientific standards. In preparation for this, over 25 training sessions have been conducted since February 2026, benefiting more than 1078 participants, and a broad campaign for early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder was launched in July 2026.
In further support of students with special needs, 100 million Algerian Dinars have been allocated for the acquisition of technical and pedagogical supplies for visually impaired students. Beyond this, school grants have been disbursed to 2.7 million eligible students, and over 186,000 school bags have been distributed, with additional allocations provided to Jijel province. These measures underscore Algeria's ongoing commitment to fostering an inclusive educational environment for all its citizens.
