Education Minister argues for preschools case for successful reform

Chakib Benmoussa, Morocco’s Minister of Education argued that preschool education is the initial foundation of a child’s mental and cognitive development, making it an essential pillar in laying the foundations for successful schooling and harmonious social integration.

In a written reply addressed to deputies, Benmoussa said that this early stage enables children to cultivate rich skills and psychological as well as cognitive aptitudes, thus helping to build an optimal investment to induce a beneficial transformation within the educational landscape, enabling them to reach the pinnacles of success.

The government is focusing specifically on optimizing pre-school education, through an overall vision that takes into account the uniqueness of this sector. This is clearly reflected in the directives set out in the 2022-2026 master plan, in which the State is firmly committed to universalizing pre-school education by 2028, with the aim of guaranteeing equal opportunities for all children aged 4 to 5, he points out.

According to Benmoussa, the government’s vision for the management of pre-school education sites is based on several strategic axes, aimed at establishing efficient and equitable governance.

Firstly, to ensure good governance, the ministry is committed to strengthening the programming and updating of educational activities, while mobilizing the necessary financial resources.

This approach, adds the Minister, includes the rigorous application of the principle of evaluation, enabling the progress of children’s learning to be monitored. To this end, administrative frameworks have been set up at both central and local levels, specifically dedicated to monitoring pre-school education. The adoption of delegated supervision through partnerships with experienced associations is also part of this governance approach.

In addition, the proximity approach to the management and selection of educators in the villages is also a central pillar of this vision, involving the active participation of families and local systems. “The Ministry is careful to select educators whose skills meet the requirements needed to accompany young children, particularly in terms of cognitive and behavioral skills and positive interaction with their environment”, says the official.

“The Ministry ensures that the social rights of educators in charge of pre-school classes are guaranteed. The latter are bound to the associations by employment contracts that comply with the legal provisions stipulated in the Labor Code, including compliance with the minimum wage. This commitment is included in the partnership agreements signed with the regional academies or their provincial directorates. Employment contracts are among the documents that associations must provide to academies in order to obtain financial support.”

In addition, he reveals that for the 2023-2024 school year, the number of contracted associations has been reduced to 370 local associations and 96 parents’ associations, compared with over 4,000 associations previously, as a result of non-compliance with standards.

After governance comes expansion of the educational offer. For the 2022-2023 school year, 571,301 children were enrolled in public pre-schools, 222,795 in private pre-schools and 137,297 in informal pre-schools. Thus, 85.3% of enrolments were in formal pre-school education, underlining a clear improvement in this sector.

In addition, this expansion of educational provision has been matched to growing demand by rigorous planning via a multi-year school map, enabling not only the expansion of provision, but also the precise determination of the financial appropriations needed to manage and administer pre-school classes.

For hard-to-reach or sparsely populated areas, new management models have been introduced, favoring an innovative approach tailored to local circumstances.

According to the data unveiled by the Minister, the number of rooms in public pre-school education for the 2022-2023 school year now stands at 17,928.

In the same vein, the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) program has built 2,000 pre-school units per year for five years in rural areas, covering their management costs for two years. These units have now been transferred to regional academies, in accordance with a circular dated March 30, 2023.

“The State is aiming for quality educational provision to ensure children’s future success. Programs are harmonized, spaces equipped, and 22,398 qualified educators have been selected for 2022-2023. A training system of 400 initial hours and 550 continuing hours has trained around 9,000 educators in 2022-2023, with 5,000 educators for 2023-2024″, notes Benmoussa. notes Benmoussa.