University of Continuing Education “Didouche Mourad” Joins the Official Opening Ceremony of the 2026–2027 Academic Year

Coinciding with the official start of the 2026–2027 academic year, the university community of the University of Continuing Education “Didouche Mourad” followed the official opening ceremony of the academic year today, Tuesday, September 22, 2026. The ceremony was presided over by the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Professor Kamel Baddari, from Mohamed Seddik Ben Yahia University in Jijel, in a national event of strong symbolic significance, reflecting the State’s commitment to continuing the development of the Algerian university and strengthening its role in building the knowledge economy. In his address on the occasion, the Minister stressed that the Algerian university is continuing its transition towards a new model based on digitalization, artificial intelligence, innovation and entrepreneurship, placing the student at the heart of university transformation. This involves providing an integrated environment for developing skills, nurturing talent, and transforming ideas, projects and innovations into added value, start-ups and micro-enterprises. He also emphasized the importance of continuing to implement the digital university and using artificial intelligence in education and training, administration and services, while strengthening the university’s openness to its economic and social environment, linking scientific research to development needs, and moving from knowledge production towards the valorization of its outcomes and the creation of impact. The Minister also addressed the importance of improving the quality of university life and enhancing the services provided to students, considering these essential factors in improving the quality of higher education, alongside the creation and development of academic specializations that anticipate the requirements of tomorrow’s economy and keep pace with developmental and technological transformations. Following the address, the opening lecture delivered by Professor Kamel Baddari, entitled “Are We Witnessing a Change of Civilization?”, was followed. The lecture examined the manifestations of civilizational transformation and transition in the context of the digital revolution and artificial intelligence, as well as the rapid development of information and communication technologies and big data. It also addressed the profound changes brought about by these transformations across various areas of life, stressing the importance of keeping pace with them through a university capable of anticipating the future and fostering knowledge and innovation. On this occasion, the opening activities of the 2026–2027 academic year continued at the University of Continuing Education “Didouche Mourad”, which followed the official opening ceremony remotely from the University Presidency headquarters, in the presence of the university’s executives, professors, staff and students. This took place as part of the university’s participation in this national event marking the beginning of a new academic year full of challenges and emerging priorities. In his address on the occasion, Professor Yahia Djaafri, Director of the University of Continuing Education, welcomed the university community, stressing that the 2026–2027 academic year represents a significant milestone in the university’s development, given the considerable growth it has experienced in terms of student numbers, the expansion of its activities, the diversification of its educational and training offerings, and its growing focus on digitalization and innovation. The Director of the University pointed out that the University of Continuing Education is welcoming an increasing number of students this academic year, with the number of enrolled students exceeding 100,000 across its various levels of education and training, in addition to more than 6,000 new students holding the 2026 Baccalaureate. This reflects the growing demand for the mode of education and training offered by the university and its presence across the various provinces of the country. Professor Yahia Djaafri stressed that this numerical growth is accompanied by continuous efforts to enhance the quality of education and university services, strengthen the use of digital tools and develop distance-learning models, in line with the transformations taking place in the higher education sector and making the university more open, flexible and responsive to the needs of students and society. He also highlighted the University of Continuing Education’s efforts to implement its vision of building a smart university and an empowering university, capable of harnessing digitalization, artificial intelligence and innovation in the service of education and training, scientific research, and the economic and social environment, thereby contributing to the development of a modern, open and knowledge-producing university. Following the Director’s address, the opening activities continued with the inaugural lecture for the new academic year, delivered by Professor Ali Moussa Rabah under the title: “Digital Formations and the Acceleration of Civilizational Transformations… Rebuilding Human Relationships and Knowledge Patterns in the Knowledge Society.” Through this lecture, Professor Ali Moussa Rabah addressed a range of transformations brought about by the rapidly evolving digital environment and their implications for the urban sphere, the nature of human relationships, and knowledge patterns in the knowledge society. He highlighted the transformations imposed by digitalization on individuals, society and the university, as well as the need to keep pace with these changes by developing the knowledge, skills and capacities required to understand and respond to the demands of the modern era. The lecture is particularly significant in the context of the University of Continuing Education’s vision of transitioning towards a smart, digital and innovative university that harnesses modern technologies, artificial intelligence and data to develop education and training and university services, while placing knowledge and innovation at the heart of institutional transformation. The subject of the lecture also provided an intellectual and academic extension of the orientations emphasized during the official opening ceremony, particularly those relating to digitalization, artificial intelligence and the transition towards a Fourth-Generation University. This further supports the University of Continuing Education’s commitment to building a more flexible and open university model capable of keeping pace with the transformations of the knowledge society and responding to the requirements of the future. The opening activities of the 2026–2027 academic year concluded with an emphasis on the fact that this academic year marks a new stage in the development of the University of Continuing Education, strengthening its position as a space for producing knowledge, developing skills and supporting innovation, while consolidating its orientation towards an empowering and smart university. This vision seeks to respond to the requirements of digital and technological transformations and contribute to national development and the building of a knowledge economy.