Ouarzazate - After a meeting of the High Council of Education and Training on July 16 in Casablanca, education activists began wide and deep discussions about the possible ways that could help in reforming and enhancing the Moroccan education system.
Ouarzazate – After a meeting of the High Council of Education and Training on July 16 in Casablanca, education activists began wide and deep discussions about the possible ways that could help in reforming and enhancing the Moroccan education system.
Yet, most senior members of the High Council think more about inside the classrooms and neglect the school environment.
They think about the strategies and measures that should be taken in order to improve the level of teaching and the learning process. They ponder suitable languages to be incorporated in classroom instruction, and come up with approaches and purposes that could strengthen the students competences and skills. They think about how to make students good citizens who will be beneficial for society, and they discuss how they can prepare students to respond to the needs of the market.
All these points are precious, and every Moroccan citizen waits to realize them. Yet, some students find it hard not only to be involved in the learning process, but also to physically go to school.
Students in remote areas still suffer from lack of transportation to reach school; this is compounded by severe weather and poor roads. It is impossible for some students to reach school once autumn begins.
This fact might be more pertinent if we recall the 25 children of Anfgou, a small village in the Middle Atlas mountains, who died in the winter of 2007 because of the cold. And only less than one month, four students were swept away by the valley flood on September 23 in Ouarzazate as they were walking back from school.
Because of these problems, the issue of education should be discussed not only by the Ministry of Education, but all ministries, including of Transportation and Equipment. They should do more than hold meetings and press conferences to enhance education in our country—specifically taking into consideration the needs and problems of remote areas.
While some students in cities may reach schools with their parents in cars, students in remote areas may only be able to reach school with the sandals on their feet (and sometimes, if they are more lucky, on donkeys and mules). As students in the city use their computers and tablets at home and school, students in remote areas sometimes find it hard to have electricity at home. As students in the city are helped by their parents (who are often educated), students in remote areas still suffer from having to help with field work and housework, as their parents might not take education seriously. If all teachers dream to teach in urban cities, a majority of them find it a nightmare to teach students in rural areas.
Furthermore, girls in cities are more equal to their male counterparts, while girls in remote areas are still getting married at the ages of fifteen and sixteen—they are seen as merely marriage projects for their families.
These are some facts that should prompt all the Moroccans, institutions, politicians, and social activists to consider education reform in a comprehensive approach. How can we make every Moroccan start thinking of other Moroccans who are less fortunate?
Thus, the remote areas should not be marginalized or forgotten, and their sufferance and needs should be taken seriously. Morocco cannot reach development without fighting vulnerability in remote areas.
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