Report: Teachers keep Morocco’s schools going, but pay, stress and training are dragging them down

Morocco’s teachers are younger than their peers in many education systems but face uneven training, limited classroom autonomy and persistent pressure from difficult working conditions, according to the country’s first report from the OECD’s 2024 Teaching and Learning International Survey, or TALIS.

The survey, led nationally by the Higher Council for Education’s evaluation body, drew responses from 18,179 teachers, educators and school leaders across more than 1,200 institutions and offers one of the clearest recent snapshots of the profession as Morocco pushes ahead with school reform.

The report shows a relatively young workforce, with an average age of 39 in lower secondary schools and 40 in primary schools, below TALIS and OECD averages. Around three in 10 teachers have fewer than six years of experience, with novice teachers concentrated in rural schools, the public sector and schools serving more disadvantaged pupils.

The report says that pattern risks widening territorial and social inequality by placing less experienced staff in the most vulnerable settings.

Moroccan teachers also work in highly mixed classroom, with some 84% of lower secondary teachers and 74% of primary teachers saying they face strong academic heterogeneity, while 40% of lower secondary teachers and 35% of primary teachers work in schools where more than 30% of pupils come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

In the classroom, teachers reported strong use of structured practices such as setting lesson goals, explaining expected learning outcomes and enforcing rules.

But more demanding approaches remain less widespread, with only 45% of lower secondary teachers saying they assign complex tasks without obvious solutions.

Teachers were broadly positive about digital tools, yet the use of artificial intelligence remains limited, with just 26.5% of lower secondary teachers and 28% of primary teachers saying they had used AI for teaching over the previous year.

Only 18% of lower secondary teachers hold a master’s degree, against an OECD average of 57%, while the share at primary level drops to 8%. Continuous professional development is common, with about 90% of teachers participating in at least one activity, but training in digital tools, inclusion and AI remains patchy.

Only 20% of lower secondary teachers and 17% of primary teachers said they had received training in AI, even as more than 60% reported needing it.

The report also points to narrow room for initiative, with about only about half of lower secondary teachers said they had meaningful autonomy to adapt the curriculum, and just 27% said they could freely choose teaching materials. Collaboration exists, but formal practices such as team teaching and peer observation remain limited.

Even so, teachers reported strong attachment to the profession. More than 90% said they were satisfied overall with their job.

Only 21% of primary teachers said they were satisfied with pay, 44% of lower secondary teachers said they would like to move to another school, and heavy workloads, marking and discipline were cited as major stress points.