Rabat – A controversy erupted on Friday morning in several schools of the French Mission in Morocco after students were given an exam paper containing a truncated Moroccan map, with the country’s southern provinces in Western Sahara missing.
The serious cartographic omission occurred during the History-Geography and Civic Education exam for the French “Diplôme national du brevet,” which thousands of students take across French schools in Morocco. Teachers and candidates from several examination centers reportedly noticed that the map of Morocco did not include its southern provinces.
According to reports from exam centers, the situation caused immediate tension. Some Moroccan teachers and students refused to proceed with the exam once they noticed the error. They quickly escalated the issue to the examination supervisors.
Faced with growing controversy, the exam was suspended in several locations. The test paper was then modified, and its start time was delayed to around 10 a.m. “All French Mission schools across Morocco were affected during the Brevet exam. Students began the exam about one hour later than originally scheduled,” a social media user wrote.
Students were reportedly informed of the changes, and families were also contacted to explain the new schedule. The disruption affected the smooth running of the exam session and created confusion among candidates and staff.
The incident comes despite France’s official recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara. In a letter addressed to King Mohammed VI on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Throne Day in July 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron wrote that his country “considers that the present and future of Western Sahara lie within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty.”
Read also: France Renews Steadfast Support for Morocco’s Sovereignty Over Western Sahara
He also reaffirmed that “for France, autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the framework within which this issue must be resolved,” adding that Morocco’s 2007 Autonomy Plan “now constitutes the only basis for achieving a just, lasting and negotiated political solution” in line with UN Security Council resolutions.
The newfound stance was reinforced during Macron’s three-day state visit to Morocco in October 2024, when Paris moved from diplomatic wording to tangible implementation.
The European country updated the Morocco map on its Foreign Ministry website to include Western Sahara, removed the old visual separation, pledged to support development and French investment in the southern provinces, and later expanded its consular and cultural reach to the region, including Laayoune, Dakhla, and Es-Smara.
Given this official position, the appearance of an incomplete map of Morocco in an official Brevet exam distributed across French Mission schools in Morocco surprised many observers. Educational materials used in French schools should be consistent with France’s official stance on the prolonged dispute, particularly when they are distributed to students in Morocco.
For many Moroccans, the issue goes beyond a simple cartographic mistake, as it touches on the country’s territorial integrity, a matter regarded as a national priority.
In addition, it raised questions about how exam papers are designed, checked, and approved in the French education system abroad. The exams are prepared in France and then sent to French mission schools around the world under strict security procedures. In theory, multiple levels of verification are supposed to ensure that the content is accurate, appropriate, adapted to each country where it is used, and most importantly, aligned with France’s official positions before being administered to students.
Not the first time
The incident also recalls other recent controversies over the representation of Morocco’s map in France. France24 drew widespread criticism in April after publishing a graphic showing the 10 African teams qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup that showed Morocco without its southern provinces.
The use of the divided map surprised many viewers as it also appeared to contradict France’s official position on the Sahara. The state-funded broadcaster’s decision prompted backlash from Moroccan social media users, who questioned why a French public outlet would use a map inconsistent with Paris’ diplomatic position.
A few months earlier, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also came under scrutiny after sharing an incomplete map of Morocco in an Instagram post. The publication was particularly striking because it came after the French Foreign Ministry had begun using Morocco’s full map in its official communications following France’s newfound stance.
Barrot’s post fueled debate over whether the map was the result of a simple oversight or reflected inconsistencies in the implementation of France’s diplomatic position. The controversy contrasted with Barrot’s own statements in Rabat, where he reaffirmed that Morocco’s 2007 Autonomy Plan constitutes “the only basis” for reaching a just and lasting political solution.
