proposals to improve the educational environment

As the new school year is about to begin in Morocco, the state of the education system has sparked significant debate, driven by the need to address the challenges of the previous year. In this context, The Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP), an opposition party, has requested a special meeting with the Minister of National Education, Preschool and Sports, Chakib BenmoussaThe USFP, which heads the House of Representatives Education, Culture and Communications Committee, has stressed the urgency of a thorough assessment of the problems that have accumulated over the past school year, in order to find appropriate solutions and avoid a difficult school year.

The party has stressed the importance of returning to the classroom, noting its crucial impact on the educational process, motivation and performance of students. Abdul Rahim Shahid, head of the USFP parliamentary group, said that “the accumulated challenges require a careful assessment to identify their causes and propose solutions that address the core problems.” As reported by Al-Arabic, Shahid stressed the need for advance preparation to create a learning environment that suits the needs of both students and teachers.avoiding impromptu decisions and aligning the education system with global trends and contemporary challenges.

The USFP has also called for a review of school infrastructure and ensuring the necessary resources to maintain quality education, especially in rural areas.It also highlighted the importance of improving conditions for welcoming students, effectively managing educational institutions, providing a school environment that encourages learning and strengthening extracurricular and sports activities.

Last year, the Moroccan education sector was hit by strikes in public education, resulting in the loss of more than 8 million hours of lessons in more than 12,000 institutions. During a roundtable discussion organised by the Moroccan Organisation for Human Rights, lawyer and activist Mariam Jamal Al-Idrisi stressed that these strikes, together with the suspension of classes in public schools and a perceived slow response from the government, had a negative impact on students, including the risk of dropping out and psychological problems.

In parallel with the demands of the USFP, Morocco’s National Coordination of Education Administrators has announced a series of strikes and a boycott of their duties starting Tuesday, September 3 to demand improvements in their working conditions. Their demands include recognition of their functions as an essential part of educational governance, the awarding of credits for promotion to higher ranks, and changes to the criteria for access to administrative positions.

On the other hand, the participation of teachers in the national population and housing census, which will take place in September, has raised concerns that Their absence from class during this period can disrupt the educational process and affect the students’ academic performanceDespite assurances from the High Commissioner for Planning that only 32 percent of census participants will be teachers, concerns remain, especially among Moroccan families.

Minister Chakib Benmoussa has also been criticised, particularly for his decision to exclude teachers from leading schools from the census, while other officials from public institutions were allowed to participate. However, this criticism has been treated with discretion and it is hoped that steps will be taken to address any concerns in a fair manner.

Overall, the challenges facing the education system in Morocco are significant, there is also a growing commitment from the various actors to find solutions to improve the situationThe coming school year, while full of challenges, also offers the country an opportunity to strengthen its commitment to quality education and move towards a more inclusive and efficient system, for the benefit of all Moroccan students.