Morocco steps up efforts to reduce school dropout rates before new academic year

Morocco’s Ministry of National Education, Preschool and Sports has begun identifying students at risk of not returning to school for the 2026-2027 academic year as part of a nationwide effort to reduce school dropout rates.

Regional and provincial education officials told Hespress that decentralized ministry services are compiling lists of students considered at risk of dropping out before the new school year begins.

The initiative will be followed by summer camps and other support programs aimed at encouraging students to return to school in September.

Officials said the effort will complement existing initiatives, including the Rural Girls Program, which supports thousands of female students, and the Second Chance Schools program, which helps reintegrate students who have left the education system.

Atika Azoulay, head of institutional management at the Regional Academy of Education and Training in the Marrakech-Safi region, said schools have already begun identifying students most at risk of not enrolling next year.

“The lists will be finalized during this month,” Azoulay said.

She explained that provincial monitoring units are collecting data from schools before submitting it to the regional academy, where officials monitor cases through a centralized digital tracking system.

According to Azoulay, education authorities monitor students at risk throughout the academic year. They first identify students who fail to enroll at the beginning of the school year, then monitor those who drop out during the year before preparing preventive measures for students considered at risk of not returning the following September.

She said around 6,000 girls are benefiting from the Rural Girls Program this year.

Under the initiative, associations selected through public calls for proposals begin working with students identified after the first semester as academically vulnerable. The support includes extracurricular activities, spring camps and summer camps designed to strengthen students’ engagement with school before the next academic year.

Azoulay said the program primarily targets girls because they face additional barriers to education, including long travel distances, transportation difficulties, financial constraints and child marriage. Some boys also benefit from the initiative.

She added that summer camps are organized for all students considered at risk of dropping out as part of efforts to ensure they return to school.

The Marrakech-Safi regional academy is also preparing new calls for proposals for organizations participating in the Second Chance Schools program. Under an expanded model, participating associations will work with middle schools to identify, counsel and help reintegrate students who have left the education system.

In Taounate Province, Provincial Education Director Ibrahim Wahmou said reducing school dropout rates remains one of the ministry’s top priorities.

He said local authorities are implementing academic support programs for struggling students, particularly those preparing for national examinations, while organizing summer educational, cultural and sports activities to strengthen students’ connection to school.

The provincial directorate has also reinforced early warning mechanisms to identify absenteeism and school dropout cases, launched awareness campaigns targeting families and students, and expanded extracurricular activities to encourage continued school attendance.