The 2026 session of the Middle School Education Certificate (BEM) examinations commenced on Monday across the entire country, operating within a highly organized framework supported by a sweeping mobilization of the academic sector. Launching the official rollout from the Djelfa province, National Education Minister Mohamed Seghir Saâdaoui described the event as “one of the most critical national milestones” in a student’s academic life.
During a press briefing conducted on the sidelines of the launch, the minister maintained that the BEM serves as a vital bridge enabling students to transition into secondary education, setting a solid foundation for their upcoming scientific and pedagogical paths.
“It is imperative to equip intermediate students with the fundamental knowledge required to navigate their future studies under optimal conditions,” Saâdaoui emphasized, noting that this period acts as a turning point in shaping the candidates’ educational development.
The sector’s top official also sought to comfort students and their guardians, reiterating that the evaluation “remains a standard phase of the school curriculum,” while offering words of encouragement to the examinees and the broader teaching community dedicated throughout the academic year.
In total, 877,035 candidates are sitting for the BEM exams this year, distributed across 3,167 testing locations nationwide. Grading activities will be managed across 104 specialized hubs, while 18 coordination centers have been established for the session, which runs from May 19 to May 21.
To ensure seamless execution, the Ministry of National Education has deployed over 214,000 personnel, including more than 181,000 proctors, alongside administrative staff, center assistants, and site coordinators.
The minister stressed the importance of providing comfortable reception environments for the candidates, particularly through the setup of rest zones near the examination halls. He further noted that expatriate Algerian students abroad are taking the tests simultaneously with their domestic peers.
The education ministry highlighted that logistical preparations for this high-stakes event began at the start of the school year. Various operations were executed, notably the verification and updating of candidate records alongside the digital distribution of exam permits via the ministry’s online portal.
According to departmental officials, these initiatives were designed to streamline administrative steps for candidates, ensuring they identified their assigned testing locations well ahead of the start date.
Taking advantage of the media appearance, the education minister also touched upon the upcoming teacher recruitment drive. He revealed that the final selection results will be declared concurrently across all provinces of the nation.
According to Saâdaoui, ministerial departments are currently wrapping up the selection benchmarks before handing them over to the Civil Service Bureau to guarantee strict adherence to regulatory standards.
The minister specified that hiring decisions will hinge on comprehensive degree evaluations and the ranking of applicants based on their academic credentials.
Furthermore, he indicated that vacancies originally scheduled for the 2026 drive have been merged with the remaining openings from 2025 to accelerate hiring and accommodate the massive influx of applicants. This adjustment successfully expands the total volume of available state-funded positions to 61,000 roles.