Rabat – Morocco’s minister of education has decided to reintroduce the teaching of philosophy to high school students.
Minister of Education Said Amzazi wrote to directors of regional academies for education and vocational training, calling for them to “give instructions to high school directors within academies they are managing to generalize the teaching of philosophy in all professional Baccalaureate fields.”
The decision will go into effect in the 2018-2019 academic year for first year Baccalaureate students. In the 2019-2020 academic year, second year Baccalaureate students will also be taught philosophy.
The purpose of the schedule is to prepare students for standardized exams for the professional Baccalaureate 2019-2020.
High school students in vocational programs will be taught the same philosophy content and receive the same number of hours as students in the scientific and technical fields.
Read also: Islamic Studies Will Not Replace Philosophy: Ministry of Education
In 2017, the content of the controversial “Manar” Islamic education textbooks sparked anger from the Moroccan Association of Philosophy Teachers. The teachers found the text’s views on philosophy offensive.
The association also viewed the content as a call for fanaticism, inertia, and extremism. In response, the Ministry of Education removed philosophy classes from the professional Baccalaureate.
