An Extraordinary Story.. An Algerian School for One Student

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In the highlands of the Akharat area, belonging to the municipality of El-Anser in the Jijel province east of Algiers, a scene appears at first glance to be more like an exceptional story than an ordinary school day. A school opens its doors every morning, while only one student attends it.

She is Nahid Bousbaï, a fifth-grade student at the Martyr Bousbaï Mbarek School, which bears the name of her late grandfather. While the classrooms were empty of her classmates, Nahid continued to go to school as usual, following her lessons in conditions she says are comfortable and help her continue her education.

The school was not always this quiet. According to the Director of Education for the Jijel province, the institution previously had 12 students, but they gradually moved on to middle school, leaving Nahid as the only remaining student in the school during the current academic year.

Nahid used to study alongside her sister, before the latter moved on to middle school. As for Nahid, who has reached the fifth and final year of primary education, the educational authorities decided that she would continue her academic year at her school instead of being transferred to another institution.

Thus, the school that used to welcome a group of children has practically become an educational institution dedicated to one student, in a rare situation that caught the attention of Algerians and was circulated by local and Arab media.

Despite the absence of classmates, Nahid says she follows her program normally, studying mathematics, Arabic, French, English, and physical education, and she also benefits from a hot meal. The student simply states that she does not find any problem with her academic situation: "It doesn't concern me at all... I study all the subjects."

It does not seem that the absence of students has dampened her enthusiasm; Nahid has a clear dream for the future: to become a mathematics teacher in middle school.

The story does not stop at opening the school for one student. According to local reports, the educational and administrative staff continues to work at the institution, which includes a principal, two teachers, a cook, and a guard, while local publications also mentioned providing transportation for the student.

Thus, the quiet school in the mountains of Jijel has become one of the strangest images at the beginning of the school year: many empty seats, complete classrooms, and a large schoolyard, but only one girl holds the title of "the school's student."

The story that began with a single student has reached the future of the school, and behind the striking human image lies a larger issue concerning the future of the school itself.

Nihad's father, Hamza Bou Sabaa, raised another issue after his youngest son reached school age. According to local reports of his account, he was unable to enroll his son in the same school, which led him to question the future of the institution, especially with the declining number of children in the area.

Reports indicate that the family fears that the decrease in the number of students will lead to the school's closure, while the youngest child faces the possibility of attending another institution farther from home. This point transformed the story from just a funny tale about a 'school for a single student' into a discussion about schooling in rural and remote areas, and the future of institutions in regions experiencing population decline.

According to local media reports from the education director, the school will continue to receive Nihad during the current school year, with the future of the institution to be discussed after the end of the season, in light of the insufficient number of students. This issue arises in a state that already faces challenges related to population distribution and schooling in remote areas.

Thus, while the picture seems simple: one girl sitting in a full school, the story carries a much larger question in its background: what happens to schools when their students leave one by one?

In the outskirts of Jijel, the school did not close its doors on Nihad. She sat alone in her seat, while the blackboard remained in front of her, the teachers around her, and the dream she carries is bigger than the number of her classmates in the class.