Report: Many young Moroccans enter teaching out of necessity, not passion

Tens of thousands of young Moroccans are choosing teaching as a profession not out of passion or a sense of educational mission, but as a last resort to escape unemployment and limited career prospects, according to a new report by Morocco’s Supreme Council for Education, Training, and Scientific Research (CSEFRS).

The report, which analyzes Morocco’s results in the 2024 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), is based on responses from nearly 4,000 teachers and principals in 200 schools across the country. While previous national and international assessments have focused on Moroccan pupils’ performance, this report examines what it describes as the “making of the teacher.”

No passion, only necessity

According to the report, external motivations such as job security and a steady salary dominate the decision to enter the teaching profession, particularly among graduates of humanities and arts faculties, whose employment prospects are limited.

“Tens of thousands of young people do not choose teaching out of a sense of educational or humanitarian mission, but due to fears of unemployment,” the report states.

Teachers themselves confirmed this reality in field interviews conducted for the study. One teacher is quoted as saying, “I chose this job out of necessity.” Another teacher said teaching is viewed as “the most suitable job for women because of its working hours and school holidays,” rather than for a passion for education.

The report warns that the teaching profession has lost its ability to attract top-performing students, who instead enroll in selective institutions. Open-access faculties, the main source of candidates for teaching recruitment exams, tend to attract lower-performing students. For many graduates, teaching becomes a default option in the absence of alternatives.

Structural recruitment crisis

The report criticizes the management of teacher recruitment in recent years, particularly following the introduction of regional recruitment in 2016, which was accompanied by short and insufficiently structured training programs.

It adds that separating training from recruitment, as well as introducing and later scrapping the contract-based hiring system, reflects a series of contradictory policy reversals that have deepened confusion in the sector.

As Morocco plans to recruit more than 200,000 teachers by 2030, the council calls for comprehensive reform through stricter selection criteria, continuous training and improved working conditions.

“The quality of teachers cannot exceed the quality of the public policies that shape their working environment,” the report concludes.

Young generation of teachers

According to the report, Morocco’s teaching workforce is younger than the international average. Nearly 30% of teachers have fewer than six years of experience, while 24% are under 30, more than double the international average of 10%.

However, this youthfulness is unevenly distributed. A significant proportion of inexperienced teachers work in rural schools with large numbers of disadvantaged students or those with learning difficulties, raising concerns about territorial and social equity in access to quality education.

The report notes that although young teachers perform well in organization and task management, outdated teaching methods remain widespread.

“Approaches that promote critical thinking, creativity and collaboration are insufficiently developed,” a teacher quoted in the report said.

Pedagogical autonomy also remains limited. Only 51% of high school teachers say they can adapt the curriculum, while their influence over broader educational strategies remains restricted.

Challenges

While often seen as a refuge from unemployment, teaching comes with significant challenges. Despite long working hours and difficult conditions, salaries remain a major concern. Only 24% of teachers report being satisfied with their pay.

About 70% say exam correction is a major source of stress, 68% report having too many classes, and 67% say maintaining classroom discipline is a daily challenge.

As a result, about one-quarter of teachers are considering leaving the profession. Among those over 50, the figure rises to 60%, according to the report.

A paradoxical attachment

Despite these difficulties, some teachers say they find meaning in their work.

One teacher, speaking to Hespress English, said, “I have 35 years of experience. I entered this profession out of necessity, but over time I came to appreciate the impact I have on children’s lives.”

Another teacher said, “Teaching remains the most suitable job for women. The hours fit our family responsibilities. I don’t love it, but I cannot afford to leave.”

However, these testimonies do not diminish the structural challenges facing the sector.