Nearly 56% of candidates pass Algerian baccalaureate

11/07/2008

Students who put themselves forward for the baccalaureate found out their results overnight from Wednesday to Thursday. Nearly 56% of candidates managed to secure their passport to university.

By Mouna Sadek for Magharebia in Algiers – 11/07/08

[Getty Images] More than half of the students taking this year's bac exams in Algeria succeeded, with girls once again outperforming boys.

The wait was over on Thursday (July 10th) for Algerian students eager to learn their results on the nation's baccalaureate examinations. For many of them, Wednesday was the longest day of their lives, as the scores were made available at midnight.

Horns and shouts of joy woke Algiers from its slumbers.

According to the national education ministry, the success rate in the baccalaureate examination was around 55% for candidates from the new education system and 53% for those from the old system. All in all, the education department estimates that the national pass rate for this examination--the most important in the whole school curriculum--will be around 56%. This rate is slightly higher than was recorded last year (53.27% in 2007).

However, the tally is not yet definitive, El Watan reported on Friday. "We have not yet completed our calculations. We're still cleaning up all the figures and sorting through the copies," the paper quoted a government source as saying on Thursday.

As has become the norm, results for girls were reportedly higher than those for boys. Representatives from the ministry nevertheless felt that while this pass level is acceptable, it is not good enough. They were hoping to achieve an 80% pass rate.

In high schools on Thursday morning, the new baccalaureate holders were all smiles.

"At last, a taste of happiness for me," said Linda, a student at Frères Barberousse high school in Algiers. "I couldn't sleep a wink last night, I was so excited. My parents were really proud of me, especially as this is my second go at it. Last year’s failure is just a bad memory now," she declared.

One of Linda's friends added: "From now on, the stress, the adrenaline, the wanting to cry, which dogged us all year are behind us. All the time spent learning, reviewing, getting up at 3 in the morning, sleepless nights, the good times with classmates and teachers... the bac is a well-deserved present."

The unlucky candidates, who found out their results via SMS, did not, it appears, think it worth bothering to turn up at their schools.

No fewer than 599,702 candidates passed this university entrance examination.

The education ministry organised two sessions: one for new candidates who were evaluated on the basis of new curricula (273,893 pupils), the other for candidates who failed last year and were judged on the basis of the old programme.

The education ministry announced that 2008 has been marked by a significant number of distinctions for candidates. More than a thousand baccalaureate holders achieved an average of between 16-18 out of 20, and a merit. Three candidates – two girls and one boy – obtained an average mark of 18.34.

One distinction holder is just 15 years old.