Education: ACCESS Microscholarship program opening doors in Algeria and Libya

A select group of students from Algeria and Libya are benefiting from a MEPI-funded program aimed at improving their English skills and providing them with access to a brighter future.

The English ACCESS Microscholarships Program for English Language Study, launched by MEPI in 2004, provides the opportunity for underprivileged students in seven countries in the Middle East and North Africa to strengthen their English language skills, while learning about American history and principles of democracy.

In Algeria, the U.S. Ambassador visited Oran on November 27-28 to meet with students from the Sibawaih School, an ACCESS partner institution since the program began.  Ambassador Robert Ford spoke English with the students, many of whom said they wished to one day study in the United States, while others stated that the ACCESS program will help them find good jobs in Algeria.

Since 2004, Sibawaih has had 60 ACCESS students, four of whom have already visited the United States, while two others will participate in the Model United Nations program for the first time.  Among Oran’s first ACCESS class, one student was selected for the MEPI-funded Study of the U.S. Institutes program, which includes six weeks of training each summer in the United States.

Meanwhile, in Libya, the Benghazi “Success School of English” was selected to be the first provider of the ACCESS program in the country.  Based on their academic excellence and financial need, 15 girls and boys, aged 14-16, including two visually impaired students, were selected from four local high schools to participate in the program, which is being held at one of the best private English schools in Libya.

Tawfik Mansurey, the project initiator, is certified in teaching English as a foreign language and uses textbooks, CDs, and videos to introduce students to American and other Western cultures.  All students will benefit from two years of English instruction, with MEPI funds covering the cost of tuition, textbooks and materials, transportation for the students, and an array of cultural activities.