Empty Classrooms and Teachers in Waiting: Who Is to Blame?

By Houda El Mouatassim Billah

Morocco World News

Marrakesh, September 23, 2012

Before starting school this year, and like every year, teachers were bombarded with regulations and rules that they need to abide by so that the beginning of school year runs smoothly and in the best conditions.

Accordingly, as a teacher, I sat my mind on following the rules keeping in mind the best interest of my students. Thus, I planned the revision that will probably take the first couple of weeks and which will help students remember what they were taught last year and get used to using English again before we start this year’s new lessons.

To my surprise, the students, who are supposed to be concerned with the learning process more than anyone else school, weren’t in their classrooms where they should be. Like a rare currency, they were scarce and scattered in the school yard with no notebooks nor pens, dressed as if they were about to attend their best friend’s birthday party, with no intention to head to their classrooms where their teachers are awaiting them, watching this weird scene, astonished and helpless.

For two entire weeks, the teachers in my high school, and in a number of other schools, have been attending their classes on time to find nothing but vacant classrooms and unoccupied chairs. It feels like coming back home every night to an empty bed: cold, humiliating and meaningless!

Note should be taken to the fact that not all teachers live next to the schools where they work: Some of us have to ride buses or taxi cabs to school; others have to rent a place in the area where they were appointed, while others have to commute everyday in any means of transportation available to reach their destinations, all of which requires considerable efforts. But what is the point of taking all this trouble to come to class and do nothing? Yes, we could read books and plan lessons, invest this time in useful ways, but aren’t we supposed to be teaching during this time? Aren’t we paid to do just that and nothing else?

Surprisingly enough, hundreds of students aren’t questioned nor punished for their absenteeism and carelessness, while teachers are obliged to be present during their working hours, even if students aren’t there, are warned that if they didn’t, they will be marked absent and that such immoral behaviors are unacceptable and should not be repeated!

This weird phenomenon- the reoccurrence of students’ absenteeism for two weeks and the passive reaction of the administration staff towards it, has led me to reflect upon the state of education in Morocco in general. Whenever students’ success rate drops, whenever their level deteriorates, whenever the number of holes in the entire educational system increases, the first and only one held responsible is the teacher, as if he or she is solely responsible for this downfall.

Society generally, and parents specifically, view teachers as the easiest target and most suitable scapegoat and blame them for their children’s failure. Seldom do they stop and look closely at the origin of the problem in order to work it out with the teacher, whose only goal is to see their students succeed. I have seen over the years how most parents nowadays take their children’s side- even if it’s not a matter of taking sides at all, and refuse to even consider that their children might be at fault, never punish them, do nothing but back up their rebellion, unaware that they are only ruining their children and stand in the way of a healthy relationship between the teacher and the parent which always serves the student best.

I would like to conclude by inviting every parent reading this article to focus on their children’s progress instead of looking for the teacher’s flaw, because even if the latter does have one, it is always better to work on what we can change instead of criticizing what we cannot.

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akrambia

Students’s absenteeism is the consequence of yet another even worse type of absenteeism: that of society in general and parents in particular. For both of them, children, who are our students, are similar to hot potatoes. They want to get rid of them as soon as possible. And perhaps they secretly wish they hadn’t come to this life at all! And most of the time, teachers alone have to deal with the consequences of this immaturity, irresponsibility and pure selfishness on the part of parents and society.
Serenity

as u said, it’s the responsibility og the admi !! wa for GOD sake, Ss are not even registered yet!! where is the deadline, the administration’s job?! plus, let’s not deny the fact that some teachers found it suitable to extend their vaccation !! well, they shud probably create another ‘bluish line’ for us to report Ss’ misbehavior and absenteeism and then , we will be even and fair
zionistslayer

Teachers are in fact responsible for 50% of the problems that exist in the Moroccan Education System. The completely dysfunctional Academies and Delegations are responsible for the other 50% because of their complete incompetence and unethical behavior. Parents are responsible for their kids – as for the students, they are kids; blaming them for the sorry state of Education in Morocco is like blaming the rape victim for being raped! If the students are dishonest, lazy and unethical because of their parents and teachers. Teachers have been horrible role models to Moroccan youth for the past 3 decades. Teachers should bear the brunt of the anger by society at the horrible state of affairs of the Moroccan Education system.

If you are required to come to work, maybe it is because that is what you are paid to do? If you don’t like it, if you don’t think you are being paid enough, be man enough to quit. Either you accept your job and do what you are supposed to do to earn an honest living, or you quit and find some way of paying your bills that makes you less of a burden to society.

My position is that most teachers in Morocco are essentially burdens to society. They do not seem to care about teaching; instead they are focused exclusively on how they think they should have their transportation costs paid for or how they should be allowed to make extra money during the time that they should be focused on teaching the youth of Morocco!

Here is a novel idea… Do your job. If the Academies and the Delegations have not gotten their act together enough to generate schedules and programs for students, it is because they are former teachers who are even more useless to society than the vast majority of teachers.

If I were the minister of Education, I would fire all Delegation and Academy employees tomorrow and have teachers fire themselves if they violate any of the rules affected recently by the minister of education.
fatma1991

Yeah i totally agree with you ! we have to blame students and their parents but we should not forget the officials and thier rough rules, In my experience at high school i used to notice this bad problem when teachers come to the classroom at the right time but unfortunately they find empty chaires altough some good students come to the class however they get surprised after the teacher tell them i will teach but after i have the full class attend to my class anyway im not here to blame teachers bacause they have the right of refusing teaching as they dont have alot of students which I dont heard this right at all! My point is if the students and thier parents hear that there is rules and the educational law for example if you dont attend to your class at the right date and time you will be refused, such rules we dont have in our country which the bad new and there is nothing for people to afraid of and make them scary as well as moroccan people understand things just when they heard of the punishment.’im sorry bacause of my english’. Thank you so much and Im proud because we have such teachers who are jealous for their job.