In-person education remains a priority, says Morocco's Education Ministry

Morocco’s authorities prioritize in-person education, while distance learning and hybrid systems are being considered amid the surge of COVID-19 cases, said Morocco’s Ministry of National Education, Primary Education, and Sports in a statement issued on Monday.

“Priority must be given to in-person education, considering its efficacy and effectiveness in achieving the objectives of education,” said the ministry statement.

As many Moroccan students expected the school winter break to be extended to two weeks due to the Omicron outbreak, authorities decided to return the students to class despite the country’s growing caseload of over 1000 cases per day.

According to the ministry’s new statement, in-person education should be offered in schools able to respect the social distance measures, while those without that option can opt for hybrid education, which combines in-class learning with self-learning supervised by teachers.

Meanwhile, online learning may be implemented in cases where schools are closed due to increased levels of infections among their students, added the statement.

Last December, authorities closed 2 schools in Rabat and Casablanca after recording dozens of COVID-19 cases among students.

As announced previously in December, regional and local educational authorities will select the most convenient education system in cooperation with territorial and health authorities.

Additionally, the ministry called for the compliance of schools to health measures inside the classrooms, hoping that masks and a high rate of vaccination will prevent a Coronavirus outbreak within the education system.

“Schools must conduct tests on a regular basis, to detect the virus among students and to ventilate the classrooms, at least five (5) minutes every hour, before students enter the classroom, during break periods, and after students leave the classroom,” added the statement.