Akhannouch at Parliament: Teachers at heart of education reform

With the aim of pursuing efforts to reform the national education system and improve the situation of the educational corps, the Executive is once again expressing its willingness to initiate a new round of social dialogue, declared the Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, on Monday.

Speaking during the monthly session of oral questions addressed to the head of government in the House of Representatives on “the development and modernization of the education system”, Akhannouch highlighted the importance attached by King Mohammed VI to the reform of public and university education.

He stressed that these were not simply sectoral reforms, but rather a real struggle and a decisive path to meeting the Kingdom’s development challenge.

The Head of Government pointed out that this integrated vision encompasses the improvement of scientific research, the qualification of human resources, and the creation of an educational and university environment guaranteeing justice, equality and fair opportunities for all Moroccan citizens.

He also pointed out that over 330,000 pupils drop out of school every year, creating one of the main obstacles to the development of the education system. With this in mind, he points out that the situation is now a cause for concern, highlighting the fact that only 23% of pupils demonstrate the ability to read a text made up of 80% of words in Arabic with ease. This is compounded by the fact that only 30% can read a 15-word French text with comparable ease.

In addition to these alarming findings, the Head of Government points out that around 49% of students leave university without obtaining a degree. These figures confirm the conclusions of the new development model, which highlights three dimensions of shortcomings, namely the crisis in the quality of learning, the crisis in Moroccans’ confidence in educational institutions and their bodies, and the crisis in the role of the school, which is no longer fulfilling its role in social advancement and the promotion of equal opportunities.

In his speech, Akhannouch also spoke of the need to improve the material and statutory conditions of the educational corps, which the government sees as key partners in the reform program. He reviewed the government’s achievements in this area, placing particular emphasis on the progress made since the start of the current school year.

In addition, the head of government took the opportunity to announce the government’s willingness to initiate a new round of social dialogue, in line with the Executive’s commitment to the national charter for social dialogue.