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Rabat — Morocco remains 76th out of 116 countries in this year’s English Proficiency Index, with a score of 479 – marginally above the global average of 477.
The North African country also remains at a low proficiency level in Africa, ranking ninth among 24 other countries listed in the ranking.
The ranking is classified as low, showing minimal progress despite ongoing pledges to enhance English education.
In terms of English proficiency across Morocco’s cities, Rabat stands out as the top-performing city in Morocco with a score of 510, far ahead of El Jadida (497) and Casablanca (494).
Regionally, Casablanca-Settat leads with a score of 494, followed closely by Rabat-Salé-Kénitra at 493. Despite these performances, all regions remain in the low or very low proficiency category, signaling the need for greater efforts to improve English education.
Morocco has been pledging to enhance English proficiency as part of its educational reforms, reflecting the language’s growing global importance.
The commitment aligns with surveys indicating a significant shift among Moroccan youth, who increasingly favor English over French for its broader opportunities at different levels, including international communication.
Despite the growing interest, the latest proficiency index shows the need for more effective strategies to meet and bridge the gap between preferences and performance.
In July, the Ministry of Education said its primary focus is expanding the English language in Morocco’s education.
The ministry said that this academic season will witness an expansion of English language teaching to cover 50% of preparatory education and 100% of the second year of education.
Morocco also seeks to incorporate the English language into the country’s media landscape,
Minister of Culture Mohammed Mehdi Bensaid announced last year the country’s plans to broadcast news in English on its public channels.
Bensaid said that state-owned Al-Aoula Channel is currently working on a new project to broadcast news in English, detailing that this will include covering international events inside and outside Morocco.
In 2022, the British Council documented the growth of interest in English learning, showing that 65% of Moroccans – particularly youth, view English as important.
The report includes 1,211 young urban Moroccan respondents, who emphasized the importance of English as a language needed in key markets.
