Rabat – Morocco’s Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch on Thursday said that his government is determined to preserve the stability of textbook prices amid the rising cost of paper and printing.
Speaking at the weekly government council, Akhannouch stated that the financial aid package of MAD 105 million ($9.9 million) dedicated to textbook publishers has prevented a rise in textbook prices across the country.
While the Moroccan state funds 70% of elementary-level textbooks through the Million Backpacks initiative, prices of most K-12 textbooks remain subject to market fluctuation.
The global disruption of supply chains due to the lingering consequences of COVID-19 and the ongoing war in Ukraine has led to a global surge in paper prices and printing costs.
Similar to international price hikes, Moroccan textbook publishers announced, ahead of the back-to-school period, that textbook prices were set to rise by 30%, prompting the government to boost its subsidies to 25% to protect citizens’ purchasing power as household spending on schooling continues to rise.
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A recent report from Morocco’s High Commission for Planning (HCP) shows that household spending on schools at the beginning of the school year reached a national average of MAD 4,356 ($411.9) in 2019. This number had already risen from MAD 1,277 ($120.7) in 2001, with urban dwellers spending more money on their children’s education than their peers in rural areas.
While the report did not explain the reason behind the data variation in relation to households’ geographical locations, this change could be associated with a generally higher cost of living in urban areas, as well as the concentration of private schools in big cities.
As eight million Moroccan students returned to school on September 5, Akhannouch expressed his hopes for a successful 2022-2023 school year, amid nationwide efforts to improve the quality of public schools by 2026, thanking teachers, tutors, and parents for their contributions.
