Rabat – Morocco’s Ministry of Education partnered with telecom giants Orange and Huawei to donate preloaded tablets to students living in rural areas.
The new initiative will send 1,500 tablets to students in the rural townships of Essaouira, Youssoufia, Rhamna, Sidi Bennour, Khenifra and Guercif. The tablets will come equipped with a monthly 20 gigabyte data allowance that will last for six months.
With the exception of the northeastern town of Guercif, all of the small municipalities fall within a 75 kilometer radius of Marrakech.
According to the Ministry of Education, the project “aims to support the use of digital technology by students and ensure equal access to students in rural areas by providing them with stimulating learning environments that contribute to their social and cognitive development.”
The Orange Maroc Foundation has sought to support the digitization of Morocco’s education system
“Digital technology brings new ways of learning and facilitates access to people who are far from it for economic, health, geographic reasons, etc,” says the Orange Maroc Foundation on its website.
Once they receive their new tablets, students will have access to the state-designed TelmidTICE application. The app allows students to connect with teachers virtually and access course materials.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Education has worked to find modern solutions that allow students to remain safe while still being able to receive a quality education.
The ministry implemented strategies to ease the transition into distance learning including television broadcasts, the use of digital platforms such as Telmidtice, and learning materials sent to students’ homes.
