Morocco’s Earthquake: Education Ministry To Allocate $390 Million to Rebuild Affected Schools

Rabat – The Minister of National Education, Preschool, and Sports, Chakib Benmoussa, announced on Monday that his department will allocate around MAD 4 billion ($390 million) to contribute to the reconstruction and rehabilitation of schools affected by the devastating earthquake that struck Al Haouz region on September 8.

The minister stressed that the Education Ministry will entrust the High Atlas Development Agency to execute the reconstruction program.

The minister made his announcement on his official X account, previously Twitter.

Benmoussa also announced the news during a parliament session at the House of Representatives, where he responded to questions on “the emergency plan for the rehabilitation of the education sector in the areas affected by the earthquake.”

He said that the program will be carried out while taking into account the specific heritage and architectural features of the affected areas, and in compliance with updated earthquake-resistant standards.

In order to tackle the problem of reconstructing and repairing the affected schools, the minister went on to say that the ministry is now collaborating with the relevant offices to launch technical studies. The affected schools are set to be operational for the start of the next academic year.

According to the minister, an integrated development program for the affected areas, with a budget of MAD 5 billion ($488 million), will simultaneously enable the improvement of the educational and sporting opportunities in these communities.

He also emphasized that the ministry hopes to win the wager of raising the educational system’s performance indicators in the afflicted areas.

To achieve this, Benmoussa stated that the initiative emphasizes the establishment of neighborhood schools together with the provision and enhancement of school transportation services.

The initiative also suggests raising the number of communal schools with boarding options, transportation for students, and lodging for teachers.

This program, which will be implemented over a 5-year period, will take into account integrated development plans for new urban centers and housing clusters that will develop in conjunction with the reconstruction of earthquake-affected areas.