18.3 % of Moroccans Speak English

Rabat – English is the second most spoken foreign language in Morocco, according to the most recent data disclosed by High Commission for Planning.

The result of the Sixth General Census of Population and Housing (RGPH 2014), which took place from 1 to 20 September 2014, found that English remains less popular than French in Morocco.

According to the same source, 66 percent of Moroccans can read and write in French, compared to only 18.3 percent who can read and write in English.

The results found that 89.8 % of Moroccans speak Darija (the Moroccan dialect), 96% of whom live in cities and 80.2 % in the countryside.

The results also revealed that Amazigh-speaking persons represent 26,7% of the population, 14% of whom speak Tachlhit, 7,6% Tamazight and 4,1% Tarifit.

Morocco witnessed a heated debate in recent years over the adoption of English as the country’s first foreign language, rather than French, with several minister and politicians calling for replacing French with English as the primary language of higher education.

In March 2014, Moroccan Minister of Higher Education Lahcen Daoudi, announced plans to make the switch from French to English.

Abdelilah Benkirane, the Head of Government, also stated earlier this year that Morocco must choose English as its primary language of education “because it is the language of today’s science, technology, and commerce.”

However, the necessary steps have not yet been taken and the primary language today in higher institutions remains French.

In June, Morocco’s think tank, the Rabat Center for Political and Strategic Studies submitted a report to the Supreme Council for Education, Training and Scientific Research, demanding the adoption of English as Morocco’s first foreign language instead of French.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Council’s administration did not take the necessary steps, and is currently still moving to keep French as a second official language.