Education Ministry prepares to present pioneering national education reform

A roadmap for the national education reform is in its final stages, according to Minister of Education Chakib Benmoussa, who presented it to various sectoral actors and stakeholders in the educational ecosystem.

During a press presentation of the Ministry’s main goals this Wednesday, March 23, the “result-oriented reform” focuses on three fundamental objectives, directed at the students, the teacher, and the institutions.

According to Benmoussa, the implementation of this future reform will have to start with an experimental phase in a chosen number of public educational institutions, with diversified sample audiences.

The roadmap “constitutes a rupture with previous reforms,” and will “shift governmental focus from means to results.”

The three fundamental objectives are, first of all, the reduction of the school dropout rate by 50%. Currently, the number of students who drop out of various educational institutions at varying levels “is close to 330,000 each year,” according to the official.

Second, the ministry is eyeing the quality of public education, one of this government’s top campaign promises. “The goal is to achieve a two-thirds success rate for primary school students in basic skills, namely reading, writing and basic math. The current success rate across public primary schools rate is a mere 30%.

Lastly, the Ministry is planning on “improving citizenship training,” which consists of “reinforcing soft skills and the development of children’s non-academic capabilities,” through extracurricular activities in sports, culture, and digital literacy among others.

According to recent government educational data, less than 25% of Moroccan students participate in extracurricular activities, most of which are enrolled in private institutions.

The Minister said that “the reform has already begun in some aspects, through the adoption of three decrees.”

For its first year, the reform was allocated a budget of MAD 220 million, which was “meticulously prepared by the Ministry’s executives, and was based on the orientations of the new development model,” said the Minister.

Benmoussa added that he hopes that “the fruits of this reform will be felt after 2 or 3 years after implementation,” and that it will lead to a restoration of confidence of the Moroccan citizen in public schools.

In a response to a Hespress AR question in regards to the current disagreement between the Ministry and academic workers and contractual teachers, Benmoussa stated that he “is ready to find a solution to the problems of professors and academics, but will not hold conditioned talks.”