Fes – The Ministry of National Education’s announcement of new restrictions to the recruitment tests for teachers has created a minor storm of indignation, with observers and many candidates for the teaching positions denouncing the new age limit as discriminatory.
Minister of National Education, Preschool and Sports, Chakib Benmoussa, made the announcement on November 19, weeks after taking office.
“As part of the reform for an educational renaissance, substantial improvements have been made as part of the publishing of the notice of organization of the competition for the recruitment of teachers and administrative staff,” said the ministry’s statement.
Under the Moroccan government’s budget for 2022, the education ministry plans to recruit a total of 15,000 teachers and 2,000 administrative staff for this year’s recruitment campaign.
The written tests will take place on December 11, according to the ministry’s statement.
The ministry has implemented restrictions to the pre-selection method for the written exam based on objective and stringent criteria, it said.
Of the new restrictions, the new age limit for applications is the change that has ignited the most controversy among outraged Moroccans.
The new age limit has been set to 30 years old, down from 40-45 years in previous recruitment campaigns.
In past recruitment campaigns, teacher recruitment was influenced by social concerns: It was all about putting people to work.
The ministry of education promised to evaluate the applicants’ grades by taking into account both their baccalaureate certificates and the period of time in which they received their certificates.
Read also: Higher Education Ministry Expands Training Programs in the South
Applicants with a bachelor in education, who had been a minority in previous recruitment competitions, are directly called on to take the exam.
Applicants must include a cover letter outlining their passion for and dedication to teaching.
Many have strongly rejected the new recruitment criteria, on the basis that they will result in effectively taking a large portion of diploma holders out of the job market.
In response, the ministry has said that children’s best interests were not considered in past recruitment campaigns, when social concerns took precedence over candidates’ aptitude for quality teaching.
The ministry argued that it now distinguishes between social and educational policies. While the former serves a social purpose by insisting on offering job opportunities for diplomas holders, it said, the second is concerned with the Moroccan student’s interests.
According to the ministry, the main goal of the new restrictions is to make sure that recruited candidates have the required qualification, passion, and energy to provide their students with quality education.
