Legal uncertainty and teacher shortages bring criticism to Morocco’s English rollout in schools

Public education representatives  are voicing criticism of Morocco’s plan to generalize English instruction across all middle school levels, warning that the move lacks a legal foundation and ignores the country’s severe teacher shortage.

The Ministry of Education has instructed regional directors to update the national school map for 2025–2026 through digital platforms “Cartisco” and “Carte Prescolaire,” integrating English into all middle school  levels as part of its wider language strategy outlined in Circular 23/030. These adjustments are scheduled between July 18 and 28.

Policy experts and education officials argue the reform is proceeding without the legal backing of the long-awaited decree on linguistic engineering, which remains under deliberation by the government’s legal affairs subcommittee. 

This draft decree is expected to formalize Morocco’s multilingual education architecture under Framework Law 51.17, covering Arabic, Amazigh, French, and English from preschool to higher education.

According to sources who spoke to Hespress, members of the Higher Council for Education and Training have expressed frustration over the Ministry’s handling of the legislative process, particularly its failure to incorporate key recommendations submitted in July 2023. One education official described the current approach as “legally hollow,” emphasizing that “no reform of this scale should advance without an enforceable decree.”

Education policy analyst Lahcen Zahidi warned that launching the English rollout prematurely risks triggering institutional disorder. 

“The legal void persists because the decree is still blocked, and the national commission tasked with monitoring implementation has not met since 2021,” he said.

The reform also faces acute logistical constraints. Kamel Benomar, general secretary of the educational administrators’ union, stated: “Middle schools generally have one English teacher assigned to third-year students, but not enough to teach earlier levels. Without significantly expanding the teaching workforce, the reform cannot succeed.”