Morocco has maintained its 76th position globally in the English Proficiency Index (EPI) released by Switzerland-based Education First (EF), ranking among countries with “low” levels of English proficiency.
Despite a slight increase of one point from 478 to 479, Morocco has held onto the same spot as last year.
On a regional level, the Casablanca-Settat region has overtaken Rabat-Salé-Kenitra as the region with the highest English proficiency in Morocco.
Marrakech-Safi followed in third place, followed by Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, Fez-Meknes, and Souss-Massa.
The regions of Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra and Draa-Tafilalet ranked at the bottom of the list with very low levels of English proficiency.
At the city level, Rabat maintained its position as the city with the highest number of English speakers, followed by Kenitra. Casablanca displaced Agadir from the third position, dropping to seventh place. Beni Mellal and Khouribga ranked last.
Globally, South Africa topped the list for African countries and ranked 11th worldwide. Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Tanzania, and Morocco followed.
Morocco was then followed by Algeria, Mozambique, and other African countries. Côte d’Ivoire, Somalia, and Libya ranked at the bottom of the list for Africa.
Israel topped the list for the Middle East and North Africa region, followed by Iran, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Syria, Kuwait, Palestine, Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Yemen.
The EF EPI is one of the world’s most comprehensive rankings of English proficiency. The report noted that the number of people who understand a little English today is greater than it was 30 years ago.
The report added that most of these people do not speak English well enough to work or study as effectively as they can in their native language.
The report also found that women’s English proficiency has improved more than men’s and that Africa remains the only continent where women consistently have better English skills than men. The report noted that English proficiency in the public sector is lower than in the private sector, which can be partially explained by differences in hiring requirements between the two sectors.
To improve English proficiency, the report recommended that governments and education ministries incorporate English into training programs for all new teachers and ensure that it is only taught by those who are proficient enough to teach it.
The report also recommended adopting communicative-based curricula, encouraging positive communication rather than focusing on errors, and including English requirements for all university degrees.
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