The specter of crisis continues to loom over Morocco’s education sector, as the kingdom’s continuing nationwide strike has caused disruptions in schools and educational institutions, with teachers absent, students at home, and courses suspended.
Having just turned the corner into 2024, the situation has triggered concerns about students being able to finish the school year’s curriculum and their ability to prepare for upcoming exams and certifications.
Minister of National Education, Preschool, and Sports, Chakib Benmoussa, announced on Tuesday that the government has developed an integrated national plan for the management of school time and the pedagogical structure for learning for students at all educational levels.
The Ministry of Education explained in a press release that the plan includes extending the school year by one week for all three school terms, thereby providing students at certificate levels with the extra time they will need to finish the syllabus.
The plan also calls for the reinforcement of pedagogical support mechanisms to assist students, flexibility in the scheduling of exams, a one-week postponement in national, regional, and provincial standardized exams, and the start date for the unified national baccalaureate exam on June 10 instead of June 3, 2024.
According to the same source, the curriculum for fundamental essential knowledge necessary to graduate to the next grade level will be prioritized.
The Ministry plans to enhance coordination with stakeholders, adapt computerized examination management systems, and consider the specificities of each educational establishment.
Administrative, pedagogical, and financial measures will be adopted at regional, provincial, and local levels, with detailed local implementation plans to ensure the success of these measures.
The Ministry said it is committed to ensuring students receive quality education, the necessary knowledge to pass certification exams, and equal opportunities for all, and wants to reassure families about these decisions.
Notwithstanding the government’s new plan, the National Coordination of Qualifying Secondary School Teachers and similar unions and teachers’ rights groups indicated that the strikes will continue but that they will be tempered.
The coordination committee has decided to strike on only two days (Wednesday and Thursday), while maintaining its boycott of continuous assessments and tests, but it is threatening escalation.
The current educators’ demonstrations are the result of a dialogue between the tripartite ministerial committee and the most representative unions, as well as the signing of agreements on December 10 and 26, 2023, which educational coordinators and unions have rejected and deemed “useless.”
The issue has created frustration among students’ families, particularly their parents, at a time when educational professionals are still fighting for their rights.
Caregivers and parents are pleading for immediate action to ensure the return of instructors and the end of an unprecedented loss of school time.
The Moroccan National Federation of Parents and Guardians Associations, with Nouredine Akkouri at its head, has long asked for immediate government intervention to de-escalate tensions in the education system.
The National Federation has condemned the education system’s “absurdity” and is urging families to accompany their pupils back to their classes on time. It is holding the Ministry and administrative and pedagogical staff accountable for sending students away, removing them from educational establishments, or leaving them unsupervised.