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Rabat – The United States and Morocco have launched the $25 million “Bridge to Middle School” program to support students transitioning from primary to middle school in the North African country.
The program is a partnership between USAID, the federal US agency responsible for administering foreign aid, and Morocco’s Ministry of National Education, Preschool, and Sports.
The program specifically aims to support the ministry’s efforts to support curriculums in Arabic, English, and select scientific subjects and “improve students’ learning outcomes,” the US Embassy in Morocco specified.
“Strengthening education is an essential part of the wider U.S.-Morocco relationship,” the embassy added.
Strengthening education is an “essential” aspect of the US-Morocco bilateral relationship, US Ambassador to Morocco Puneet Talwar said about the program. “Morocco shares our understanding of the crucial importance of providing a quality education to all.”
Morocco has been upping its international cooperation in the field of education recently, particularly with anglophone partners such as the US and UK.
On January 17, British Ambassador to Morocco Simon Martin signed an agreement with the British International School of Casablanca (BISC) to launch the Chevening scholarship with the school.
The ambassador had expressed to Morocco World News in an October interview that the UK is aiming to support the use and education of English in the North African country.
“I don’t want to let you in on any secrets before I should, but we’re looking forward, Inshallah and very soon, to the announcement of the opening of the first British university campus here in Morocco,” Martin said.
The USAID program also hopes to bridge gaps in education quality in the country. A study from Morocco’s Higher Commission for Planning (HCP) showed that geographic distribution and poverty are the two main factors negatively affecting education quality across the country.
Students in rural areas and from families with lower incomes are less likely to have access to pre-school education. The parent’s level of education and professions are also contributing factors to the education gap.
