Rabat- The new Moroccan government is looking to implement several measures to improve the quality of the education system in the country.
According to various independent and government reports, the government’s stated action plan highlights the need to radically reform Morocco’s education system to make it competitive on the global stage.
Strengthening Human Resources
Still, the Akhannouch-led government has vowed to take decisive steps to improve the education sector, saying this is one of its key priorities. In the government’s recently announced action plan for the coming year, MAD500 million ($52.20 million) will be allocated to improve the quality of teaching and strengthen teachers’ skills through continuous training.
According to the Finance Bill, the budget for the equipment of Regional Centers for Education and Training Professions (CRMEF) and training centers will be upgraded to MAD350 million ($38.642 million).
For strengthening human resources in the education field, the Finance Bill suggested creating 17,000 jobs, including 15,000 for the recruitment of teachers and 2,000 budgetary posts for the recruitment of members of educational and administrative staff.
Early childhood development
The new government also aims to invest in early childhood development programs, “including the support of the development of kindergartens for kids aged under 4, with a vision to increase the chances of success in both academic and professional life,” according to the finance bill.
Additionally, the government will implement a program for the generalization of preschool through the creation and equipment of specialized institutes.
The aim of this policy is to achieve a 100% enrollment rate in preschool by 2028, the government has insisted, announcing a budget of MAD 1.9 billion ($209.77 million) for this project.
Students with disabilities
Around the world, children with disabilities are often denied the right to quality, inclusive and equitable education. Of the 150 million children with disabilities globally, an estimated 90 percent are out of school, according to the World Health Organization and UNICEF.
In Morocco, according to the 2014 National Survey on Disability, 66.1 percent of children and adolescents with disabilities are out of school because “the education system lacks the resources to accommodate their needs.”
To enable students with disabilities to benefit from the same opportunities as other students in terms of access to quality learning, the government’s finance bill includes investing in several inclusive education programs.
New Educational Institutions
The Akhannouch-led government projects to invest MAD2.3 billion ($253.933 million) in the construction of around 230 new educational institutions, including 30 schools and 43 dormitories.
In addition, there will be a social support program in order to minimize dropping out of schools with another social support program with a budget of MAD1.5 billion ($165.60 million).
Together with the construction of new learning institutions and dormitories, the goal of the social support program is to fight against the high school dropout rates across Morocco.
Improving research
Morocco is stepping up efforts to promote scientific research and innovation and upgrade digitization of education.
In order to help universities to strengthen their scientific and research institutions, the new government also seeks to review the national educational standards for the Doctoral cycle, and reevaluate the country’s infrastructure for scientific research and innovation.
For this, the government plans to implement national and international cooperation partnerships for scientific and technological research that will eventually fulfil Morocco’s ambitions in the sectors of education, research and sciences.
