Students of media and communications in Algeria say the lack of practical facilities in most universities denies them the work experience needed to get a job. Teaching staff complain that this has led to the growth of expensive and sometimes inadequate private training centres.
In four years as an audio-visual student at the University of Batna 1, in eastern Algeria, Hanan Jinan did not once use a camera or a microphone.
“My university education was limited to the theoretical aspect,” she told Al-Fanar Media.
Jinan is not alone in this. Many Algerian universities lack radio or television studios, and media and communication graduates are forced to turn to training centres before applying for jobs.
Jinan described this as “clear injustice against students, who find themselves media and communication graduates in name only.”
She added: “The lucky ones among my colleagues are those who got the chance to be trained in one of the national and regional radio stations, or the headquarters of public and private TV channels. Otherwise, the vast majority of students have neither used the camera nor tried the microphone throughout their studies.”