Algeria wants to learn English from India

New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS) With only five percent of its people able to speak "good English", Algeria has invited Indians to teach the language in its universities, according to the envoy of the largely Arabic and French-speaking North African nation.

Some 100 institutes affiliated to 13 Algerian universities need nearly 250 English teachers and his government is keen to have Indian educators, Ambassador Mohammed Hacene Echarif told IANS in an interview.

But why only teachers from India?

"Indian education standards are very high. Our government is highly impressed with Indian teachers who have great educational advantage in subjects like English, science and mathematics," Echarif said.

The embassy has asked the government to get them candidates who will be offered a monthly salary of 2,000 euros, free accommodation and transport with a three-year contract and "good annual increment".

"But they will have to bear the difficult Algerian conditions. Politically there are no problems at all. But weather can be tough," said the envoy.

More than 90 percent of the area in the Muslim-dominated country with over 36 million population is covered by the Sahara desert.

With huge difference in day and night temperature, the midday desert heat can get unbearable and the nights can get from cool to chilly, said the envoy of the largest country in Africa, the Arab world and the Mediterranean.

Interested candidates can apply for the job directly with the Algerian embassy in Delhi. They will be interviewed by a panel of experts from that country before the start of the session in September. The contract will be valid for three years but can be extended.

"Only five percent of the Algerian population can speak good English. We hope Indian teachers can help us in popularising the language," said the envoy.

The envoy said that there were already some 3,000 Indian workers in his country who had proved to be "good, well behaved and friendly".

"Their behaviour is good. They are highly regarded in our society. They are hardworking. And that is another reason why we want to have more Indian workers in our country."

Echarif said Algeria also wanted to "reduce its dependency on the West".

"India has a huge man power resources. We want to tap it and invite more Indian skilled workers in the near future," he said.

The embassy's first secretary Faycal Sifodil told IANS that the Algerian health ministry was likely to enter into an agreement with its Indian counterpart under which "hundreds of Indian doctors and hospital managers will be offered jobs in Algeria with handsome remunerations".

Algeria is not the only country that is looking at Indian teachers, who have been the focus of many nations over the last few years, particularly in the wake of globalisation and the advent of the Internet. There are many Indian teachers in the UK, US and the Middle East countries.

(Sarwar Kashani can be contacted at s.kashani@ians.in)

©Indo-Asian News Service

Reference

I must say that this is a very interesting issue indeed ! But it's too hard to speak 'right' when one's head is full of bitterness, but we'll give it a try.
I dare say that the problem concerns the Algerian 'way of thinking' which consists always in praising the foreign and attributing it ALL the existent and non-existent qualities at the expense of underestimating what is OURS (all that has an Algerian stamp).

Bringing teachers from abroad??!! As if we don’t have teachers ??!!! ‘Qualified’ they said???!!! As if we don’t have ANY qualified teachers??!! But what arguments shall we give, since we ALSO don’t have any builders that our government was obliged to bring Chinese builders!
They are more qualified ALSO????!!! Give our poor builders the salary these Chinese are given and you’ll see what they are able to do !!
Give our teachers 30 millions and you’ll see what they can do !!!
I don’t wanna go further otherwise we’ll tarnish our reputation more than they tarnished it!
Conclusion: I believe that this is all what we can expect from such mentalities constantly worshiping what’s foreign.
Thanks again for this bitter but pertinent topic

Indeed Sassy86. U said all what is in my heart, though deeper I still can see a hope. Someday, the change will come!

Brother, as I see it people are tired of the legends and ‘7ikayat baba sinane’ that the government of ‘al bar9o9’ pacifies us with, but as you said ‘there’s a hope’ as long as there is a God !
Best regards