English education in Libya dates back to the 1940s after World War II.

Shortly after the

establishment of the British government in northern Libya. The southern part of Libya was
administered by France (El-Haddad;1997), and teaching and spreading English in this region was
part of British policy. The intensive English course was interesting and liked by the residents.
The first English series used in Libya was KC Ogden's Basic Way to English, which focused
on teaching English with an 850-word vocabulary. Used by L. W. Lockhart (Hashim; 1997). In
the early 1960s, a new series was introduced to replace the aforementioned post-primary series.
i.e. 4th and 5th graders. It was titled The New Method by Michael West, who was Libya's
English inspector at that time. This series is about Arabic culture.It was used by him until 1957,
when it was replaced by a new textbook called Modem Reader, written by A.Johnson, who was
an English inspector in Egypt at the time (Hashim; 1997). On February 19, 1968, the Minister
of Education decided to set up a committee to revise the Libyan education system. A few months
later, some important changes in the program of teaching English in preparatory and secondary
schools took place. English was to be the language used in high schools and scientific colleges.
It was the language to use inside classes and lecture halls. This decision was a source of anxiety
among intellectuals for national and academic reasons. In particular, it could adversely affect
Arabic and threaten its existence in Libya and it could also jeopardize students’ academic levels
as they would be taught in a language that they are not fluent in .
In the 1960s, new English programs and text books were needed to change and improve the
entire process of teaching this foreign language in Libya. Written by Mustafa Gusbi, this series
was designed to meet the linguistic and cultural needs of Libyan learners. The series was titled
Libyan English. It contained three textbooks. Books 1, 2, and 3, it also contained 3 Workbooks,
3 Teacher's Guides. The manual details the steps teachers should follow in the classroom, the
visual aids they can employ, the instructional hours required to teach each book, and other
resources to aid in the instructional process. Those three books were designed for the
preparation levels of basic training, namely levels 7, 8, and 9 (that is, preparation levels 1, 2, and
3). These textbooks were the first to be locally produced and culturally sensitive. The preparatory
series focuses on the local culture of Libya and familiarizes students with the material they are
studying. This series was used until the mid-1980s.
In secondary school, Gusbi created another series entitled 'Further English for Libya' with
another author,Roland John. The series adopted English culture as a means of teaching English
as the mentioned author felt that they students were ready to be exposed to that by then. These
series were used from the 1970s to the early 1980s, that is, until English teaching was completely
abandoned in all Libyan schools and universities.
For political reasons, and after air strikes led the United States and Britain on the Libyan Regime
back then in mid-April 1986, the Minister of Education made Decision No. 195/1986 to stop
foreign language education in Libya. This decision has had a profound impact on the future of
education in Libya. The very serious consequences associated with this decision are still active.

Foreign language instruction in English and French was discontinued in 1986. In 1993/1994 the
teaching of English was resumed in the Libyan education system. Initially due to the gap in
teaching and learning English at that time, preparatory and secondary school students had to
study the same book as both phases were both being exposed to English for the first time. Many
problems arose, including a severe shortage of English teachers. It was very difficult to meet the
demand with a sufficient number of qualified English teachers which caused the ministry to
assign teachers of geography and social sciences to teach English as English was seen as a part
of social studies and sciences “humanities” . In the 1998/1999 school year, a new English series
for Libya published by Garnet Education was used in both pre- and secondary education. In
2005/2006, new English textbooks were introduced in primary classes. It was taught for the third
grade but only for one year. In 2006/2007 teaching English was discontinued to third graders
but introduced to the 5th and 6th grades.
English is now a compulsory subject from 5th elementary school until graduating high school.
That is, it is taught for 8 years. The Introduction of English for LibyaPreparatory 3, Teacher's
Book (Frino; 2008:6) "This book has been written taking into account the specific needs and
personal interests of Libyan students." was designed to
The material in the series is cumulative, so in an ideal world the learner or student should be
familiar with the previous parts of the series. Language is carefully scored and manipulated by
presenting a variety of themes that students have in other subjects such as geography, science,
history, environment, achievements and technology. The Course consists of four parts.
Coursebooks, workbooks, CDs, teacher books. However, in most cases, CDs are not given to
students. Using the course book selectively to match the Libyan reality and schedules with all the
delays and wars. The coursebook is divided into units and each unit contains several lessons,
starting with the introduction and review of the target language through several exercises in the
coursebook and workbook.Courses are highly dependent on the student's performance and
activity in class either individually or in groups. Tasks include speaking, listening, reading,
writing, role-playing, and sometimes games. The books were ideal, but they were and mostly still
are delivered by teachers who lack the basic teaching skills, techniques, and approaches. Not to
mention the number of students in classes and the lack of resources and motivation to both
teachers and students that is bound to eventually hinder the educational process.