Banning mothers from receiving schools raises a storm among Algerians

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Preventing the mothers of students from entering some educational institutions in Algeria sparked widespread controversy, after measures taken by educational institutions restricted the reception of parents of students to fathers, with the exception of specific cases.

While these procedures were based on considering the father as the legal and legal guardian, representatives of the students’ guardians objected to the decision, because of the difficulties it might cause to families in following up their children’s studies.

The procedures are based on Executive Decree No. 10-03, and Resolution No. 65 issued on July 12, 2018, regarding the organization and functioning of the educational community. However, controversy erupted over the extent to which educational institutions have the right to limit the reception of guardians to fathers and not mothers.

The procedures stipulate that the father is the legitimate and legal guardian of the student, with the exception of divorce cases if the mother enjoys legal sponsorship for her children, the death of the father or a legal impediment such as his imprisonment, in addition to the presence of a legal document proving care for the children, whether issued by a notary or by a family judge in the court. The institutions that took this measure justified their position by the occurrence of problems within schools caused by the mothers of some male and female students, stressing that the mother is not allowed to assume the role of guardian outside of exceptional cases.

On the other hand, educational law specialist Bashir Brahimi explained that Executive Decree No. 10-03, issued on January 4, 2010 and published in the first issue of the Official Gazette of the same year, stipulates in its fourth article that parents of students are allowed to enter educational institutions during the times specified for reception, without specifying whether the intended person is the father or mother.

He also added that Resolution No. 65 issued on July 12, 2018 regulates the rights and duties of guardians in the fifth semester, and stresses the importance of their participation in achieving the goals of the educational institution, by following up on their children’s studies and attending periodic meetings with professors.

In addition, he explained that the organization allows parents to participate in addressing the difficulties that hinder their children from practicing their school activities normally, but the materials related to parents do not distinguish between father and mother.

However, the specialist pointed out that the phrase “guardians of students” contained in the decree may be interpreted as referring to the legal guardian in accordance with the Civil Law, which requires the intervention of the Ministry of Education to clarify the texts and resolve the controversy.

For his part, member of the Parents’ Association, Nasser Jilali, said that the measure was not issued by order of the Ministry of Education, but rather came as a result of local diligence at the level of an educational institution, which caused confusion for the parents of the students. Djilali described the decision as unfair and does not take into account the reality of Algerian families, explaining that mothers often undertake a large part of the daily monitoring of their children’s studies, and know the details of their educational attainment and behavior at school.

He also added that many fathers have professional and employment obligations that prevent them from going to schools during official working hours, considering that depriving mothers due to limited problems represents unjustified collective punishment and affects the partnership between the family and the school.

He concluded by calling on the Ministry of National Education to intervene to cancel these measures, and to establish unified regulatory rules that guarantee the right of mothers and fathers to follow up on their children, while preserving the dignity of members of the educational community and achieving the best interests of the student.