The "Ahriq" reform school in Kabylie: A model of educational and intellectual struggle during the French occupation period

Abstract

This paper offers a historical analysis of a significant educational and reforming initiative that originated in the village of “Ahrik” in the Kabylie region during the French colonial era, specifically from 1949 to 1956.

The goal is to explain how the school came to be, who helped start it, how the colonial government reacted to its activities, and what role it played in the community and beyond as an educational and reformist institution.

The primary research inquiry is: What was the character of the educational and reforming objectives of the “Ahrik” school, and what was its efficacy and impact in both the short and long term?

To answer this question, the researcher used a strategy that integrated historical description with analytical interpretation. The research utilized archival records from the National Overseas Archives in Aix-en-Provence, France, and the provincial archives of Tizi Ouzou, originating from the colonial period. These documents contain periodic intelligence reports compiled by French administrative and security services, offering significant insights into the phases of the school's establishment, student enrollment figures, the biographies of its educators, the judicial actions taken against them, and the strategies employed by colonial authorities to reduce their reformist and cultural impact.

Along with historical evidence, the study also used oral and written testimonials. One of them is an interview from 2008 with Sheikh “Salah Salah”, one of the school's best-known teachers. Another is a collection of stories from previous students. These testimonies add to the official papers by giving a more personal and societal view of the school's story. The researcher also looked at broad historical texts that, while not directly about the “Ahrik” school, gave useful information about the intellectual and social environment of that time.

The findings highlight several critical aspects: the crucial role of villagers and expatriates in funding and sustaining the school; the commitment of teachers who worked to enhance education and spread reformist ideas despite colonial constraints; and the colonial administration’s persistent efforts to hinder the project through the denial of teaching licenses, the imposition of fines, and occasional directives for temporary closures. But the town and its instructors fought back with all their might, even though they had to deal with pressure and make sacrifices. They believed that education would improve their society and provide their kids a brighter future.

Even though the school didn't last long, it turned out groups of students who went on to study in Algeria and other countries. Many of them later became professionals in independent Algeria. The professors also played a key role in propagating reformist ideas and developing national identity, which indirectly prepared people to accept the idea of revolution and join the national liberation effort.

Keywords: "Ahriq" school, Independent Education, reform movement, education in the Kabylie region.