Academic freedom in Africa has attracted much attention recently, but few examinations of the
subject have incorporated Algeria. On many occasions, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika
underlined the crucial role of education and academic institutions in national development, for
social transformation, and for the deepening of democracy. The university, he once pointed out,
needs to sustain its academic and research endeavors with a view to “meeting social demand
for higher learning in an efficient manner and improving the quality of its teaching and research
programs.”1 To reach this goal, additional prestigious national schools specializing in
engineering, technology, management, journalism, and political science, to name but a few, had
been created in 2009 with the aim of establishing a separate sector of higher education parallel
to the universities. The areas of scientific research, technological development, and others have
received tremendous financial support from the government. Such results, said the president,
will be put to good use in helping the national economy and supporting policies geared
towards improving the standard of living of Algerian citizens. However, the state’s efforts
frequently conflict with the academic institutions’ policies and their leaders’ private interests,
giving rise to encroachments on academic freedom.