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dditional classes and 55,000 teachers by 2027-2028.

• School dropouts remains an issue that Morocco still is working to reduce.

• The report also added that the quality of preschool education “varies tremendously, and the lack of an effective quality-assurance mechanism at this level hinders substantial improvements in quality and consistency.”


Montessori in Morocco:
• Montessori Institute of Morocco: accredited by AMI offering 

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Several pedagogical institutions train secondary level teachers. High school graduates who have an appropriate entrance exam score may enroll in a two-year program at Pedagogical Regional Centers ( Centres Pédagogiques Régionaux or CPRs). These centers are geographically localized, based on the administrative, decentralized law of Morocco and its regional socioeconomic developmental needs and requirements. They are located in the Fez region in Boulmane; Tangier region in Tetouan; Souss region in Massa Daraa; the eastern region; Marrakech region in Tansift-Haouz; Tadla region in Azilal; the grand Casablanca region; and the Rabat region. Students enrolled at a CPR study specialized subjects ranging from languages, notably French and Arabic, to mathematics, the sciences, humanities, social sciences, physical education, and the arts. Students graduating from a CPR can teach only at the first cycle or junior high school.

High school graduates with appropriate entrance exam scores may enroll in Higher Normal Schools ( Ecoles Normales Supérieures or ENSs). These four-year programs offer courses in pedagogy, the art of teaching, and a variety of academic subjects depending on the chosen field of teaching. Specialized academic areas include mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and geology, the health sciences, business and economics, literature and the humanities, the arts, social sciences, physical education, history and geography, theology, and philosophy. ENS graduates become secondary high school teachers. A specified priority-ranking and pedagogical needs determine the placement of the new teacher. Generally, after teaching a few years, teachers may request to be moved to another geographical area. At the end of the 1990s, there were 10 ENSs in Casablanca, Marrakech, Fez, Meknes, Rabat, and Tetouan.

Higher Normal Schools of Technical Education ( Ecoles Normales Superiéures d'Enseignement Technique or ENSET) prepare students interested in technical fields (Bacs techniques) to teach in high schools. ENSET's are located in two main areas: the beach city of Mohammedia, which is about 20 miles north of Casablanca, and the capital Rabat. Training in the areas of technology and applied scientific knowledge include electronics, information technology, computing and information systems, home appliances, refrigeration, and auto-mechanic.

Teaching Examiners Formation Centers ( Centres de Formation des Inspecteurs de l'Enseignement or CFIEs) prepare examiners to monitor, assess, and provide feedback on the quantity and quality in the pre-college teaching profession; relationships among schools, administrators, principals, and teachers; teaching market issues; pupil performance and learning objective outcomes; and even teaching material, building furniture, and school supplies.

Planning and Orientation Educational Centers ( Centres d'Orientation et de Planification de l'Education or COPEs) are responsible for macro-, micro-, and mesoeducational aims, objectives, needs, and appropriately dynamic strategies and educational tactics. COPEs, in liaison with the national Supreme Council of Education, brainstorm the educational aggregates and needs. The following areas are among those considered: supply, demand, pedagogical needs, recruitment, costs, savings, educational investment infrastructure, educational socioeconomic infra-structure, educational bond issues and financing securities, and the role of education in national economic growth.

Employment in the educational profession has been steadily increasing. In the recent pedagogical triennium, the three-year period from 1996 to 1998, CPRs, ENSs, ENSETs, CFIEs, and COPEs supplied the following: 2,636 graduates in the academic year 1996-1997 (758 females); 2,453 newly accepted-enrolled (736 females) in 1997-1998; and 3,995 graduates (1083 females) in 1997-1998. In 1997-1998 there were 1,470 full-time faculty and 365 adjunct faculty at the CPRs, ENSs, ENSETs, CFIEs, and COPEs.

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Several pedagogical institutions train secondary level teachers. High school graduates who have an appropriate entrance exam score may enroll in a two-year program at Pedagogical Regional Centers ( Centres Pédagogiques Régionaux or CPRs). These centers are geographically localized, based on the administrative, decentralized law of Morocco and its regional socioeconomic developmental needs and requirements.

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Rabat - A group of Moroccan pedagogical inspectors gathered on Thursday, January 10, at the National Union of the Moroccan Press in Rabat to discuss the country's education system, from pedagogy to human resources.

The meeting, attended by Morocco World News, voiced concern for the fate of the Moroccan educational system because it still suffers from deficiencies and poor infrastructure.

It starts with teaching methods. In 2000, Morocco decided to move from a system of "pedagogical goals" to "competency-based learning."

The approach of pedagogical goals is more traditional, relying on a general subject rather than objective teaching. It also focuses on discipline and what students will learn from specific lessons at a specific period of time rather than students' creative abilities.

Meanwhile, competency-based learning focuses on each student's learning abilities, considers the pace by which a student can learn, and encourages more interactions between the student and teacher to develop critical, creative thinking, and argumentative skills.

However, according to the Association of Pedagogical Inspectors, Moroccan schools continue to rely on pedagogical goals rather than the competency-based learning method when it comes to exams,creating confusion for students.

While school curricula and class activities may rely on the competency-based learning method, tests and exams may, for example, require answers that are heavily focused on memorization.

The association presented reports on the situation, which also reflect a recent World Bank report titled "Expectations and Aspirations: A new framework for education."

According to the report, Morocco and other MENA countries' curricula rely heavily on rote learning, memorization, and repetition, an educational system that focuses on "passive learning" and "violent discipline."

The research found 60 percent of eighth-grade students in Morocco are required to memorize facts, mathematics and science rules, and the "procedures" of most lessons, if not all.

Deficiencies in the country's educational system is not news to Moroccans. The association criticized some school administrators and teachers, especially those working in primary education.

The association also noted that primary school children have poor knowledge accumulation which could also be blamed on teacher absenteeism.

Girls' education still at risk

When it comes to infrastructure, the association noted based on a number of reports by pedagogical inspectors in Morocco, that many schools with 700 or 800 students have only two or three toilets. Students have no choice but to take turns.

It is especially hard for girls, who often drop out due to the poor infrastructure.

Meanwhile, ironically, other educational institutions in Morocco are over-equipped, for example having 24 restrooms for 25 students.

Similarly, in August, Morocco's Court of Auditors identified serious deficiencies in public and private schools regarding infrastructure, reception capacity, and the number of teachers.

In its 2016-2017 annual report, the Court of Auditors noted deficits in the basic facilities of some schools, such as connections to drinking water, electricity, and sewage.

Some other schools did not have basic infrastructure such as fences, sanitary units, sports fields, multimedia rooms, libraries, internet connections, and teaching materials.

The report also cited the lack of pedagogical inspectors' supervision of teachers, especially through continuous training.

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Low Standards in Moroccan Schools Puts Children's Education at Risk

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Rabat - A group of Moroccan pedagogical inspectors gathered on Thursday, January 10, at the National Union of the Moroccan Press in Rabat to discuss the country's education system, from pedagogy to human resources. The meeting, attended by Morocco World News, voiced concern for the fate of the Moroccan educational system because it still suffers from deficiencies and poor infrastructure.

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Morocco

• The education system in Morocco comprises pre-school, primary, secondary and tertiary levels. School education is supervised by the Ministry of National Education, with considerable devolution to the regional level. Higher education falls under the Ministry of Higher Education and Executive Training.

• School attendance is compulsory up to the age of 13. About 56% of young people are enrolled in secondary education, and 11% are in higher education.

• The government has launched several policy reviews to improve quality and access to education, and in particular to tackle a continuing problem of illiteracy

• According to the National Charter, preprimary education is compulsory and available to all children under the age of 6. This level is open to children of ages 4–6 years old.

• There are two types of pre-primary schools in Morocco: kindergarten and Quranic schools.

• The kindergarten is a private school that provides education mainly in cities and towns;

• the Quranic schools prepare children for primary education by helping them develop basic literacy and numeracy skills. Quranic schools have the potential to become a major force in the fight against illiteracy.

• The higher education system consists of both private and public institutes.

• The country has fourteen major public universities,[4] including Mohammed V University in Rabat and Al-Karaouine University, Fes,[9] along with specialist schools, such as the music conservatories of Morocco supported by the Ministry of Culture.

• The Karaouine University at Fes has been teaching since 859, making it the world's oldest continuously operating university.

• There are dozens of national and international universities like SIST British University that work along with the public universities to improve the higher education in Morocco. In addition, there are a large number of private universities.

Government reviews:

Improving the quality of outcomes in the education sector has become a key priority for Morocco’s government. A comprehensive renovation of the education and training system was developed in a participatory manner in 1998-99, which led to the vision for long-term expansion of this sector in response to the country’s social and economic development requirements.

The outcome was the promulgation of the 1999 National Education and Training Charter (CNEF). The CNEF, with strong national consensus, declared 2000-2009 the decade for education and training, and established education and training as a national priority, second only to territorial integrity. The reform program, as laid out by the CNEF, also received strong support from the donor community. Nevertheless, during the course of implementation, the reform program encountered delays.

In 2005 the Moroccan government adopted a strategy with the objective of making ICT accessible in all public schools to improve the quality of teaching; infrastructure, teacher training and the development of pedagogical content was also part of this national programme.

On August 2019, the government passed a law to commence reforms on education including teaching science subjects in French language.

• In his presentation held on Thursday, July 12 in front of the Government Council, Amzazi said that his ministry will launch a national program of generalization and reform of the pre-primary education in Morocco.

• According to Amzazi, the ministry will launch the program on July 18 to include the 2018-2019 academic year and will run to 2028.

• According to Amzazi, the program also aims at offering training to teachers, reinforce integration of teachers into the job market, and add 57,000 additional classes and 55,000 teachers by 2027-2028.

• School dropouts remains an issue that Morocco still is working to reduce.

• The report also added that the quality of preschool education “varies tremendously, and the lack of an effective quality-assurance mechanism at this level hinders substantial improvements in quality and consistency.”

Montessori in Morocco:
• Montessori Institute of Morocco: accredited by AMI offering
3-6 Diploma course.

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Lack of Early childhood programs perpetuates inequality
While good quality ECD is important for all children, it is essential to support the development of children in disadvantaged settings. Indeed, various studies have demonstrated how investment in ECD can help reduce inequality and break the cycle of poverty.

As Nobel laureate Professor James Heckman put it, " Children raised in disadvantaged environments are not only much less likely to succeed in school or society, but they are also much less likely to be healthy adults." Effective early childhood programs can lead to improved economic prospects of children by helping them gain the foundational skills they need to be more productive in the future workforce.

Inequality in access to quality ECD has many faces in Morocco and reflects significant inequality gaps between the most well-off and the most disadvantaged children. The first step in ECD is providing the support to help babies simply survive infancy; in Morocco 25 out of every thousand babies die during their first month of life. Nutrition, another critical component of ECD, also reveals important gaps as reflected by a 2004 figure, showing that 23% of children under 5 were stunted and 10% underweight.

Access to pre-school education has significantly increased over the past decades yet remains a luxury to many disadvantaged Moroccan children. Pre-school has developed over the years mainly in urban areas and on the initiative of the private sector, providing an educational alternative to more traditional structures including the Msid, the Koutab and other institutions. These structures are still widespread throughout the Kingdom, with 60% enrollment in 2015-2016, and teach children the principles and moral values of Islam as well as the basics of literacy and numeracy. As a result of the rapid expansion of preschool structures (traditional and private structures combined), enrolments in preschool have substantially increased over the past decade (+10% increase between 2001 and 2013 for children aged 4-5).

Yet despite progress in access to health and pre-primary education, many Moroccan children are still falling short of their full potential for healthy development. First, the existing network of preschools is still scarce, especially in rural areas where they are clearly most needed. In 2015-2016, only 43% of Moroccan children aged 4-5 were enrolled in preschool and only 27.9% in rural areas. Poorest Moroccan children are much less likely (16%) to benefit from development activities compared to the richest (58%). Secondly, the quality of preschool education varies tremendously, and the lack of an effective quality-assurance mechanism at this level hinders substantial improvements in quality and consistency.

Research has also demonstrated the importance of parents' involvement in their children's cognitive development. An OECD study found that parents who play and talk to their children from their early days, who read books to them and help them with their homework, have better chances that their children will do well at school. In Morocco, such cognitive stimulation from parents is rare, especially in disadvantaged families, due to parents' lack of education, large household size, or even a lack of information among parents about the behaviors that can help their children succeed.
More ECD investments key to enhanced human capital
As emphasized in the recent World Bank Morocco Economic Memorandum, supporting early childhood development in Morocco is an essential investment to yield better human development outcomes. ECD not only influences individuals' personal, social and professional development but also determines a whole country's growth prospects.

ECD is multi-sectoral by nature. As such, it relies on the existence of an integrated, multi-sectoral and comprehensive early childhood development strategy that can be implemented in a coordinated and effective manner in the areas of health, education, nutrition, and social protection. Moreover, focusing on quality ECD rather than on a mere increase in enrolments is critical to providing educational and development settings adapted to supporting the holistic development of children, particularly those at risk of social exclusion.

Morocco will reap long term economic and human returns by establishing quality standards of early childhood care and education, which will need to be set, monitored and enforced across the country. This will, in turn, help to protect and enhance children's development and ensure children have equal opportunities to flourish regardless of their circumstances. Finally, awareness-raising is instrumental to achieve successful ECD outcomes: informing and engaging parents on the need to stimulate their children, interact with them, and carefully monitor their cognitive skills from birth to the age of 5 are integral parts of ECD programs.

The need for greater ECD investments is a no-brainer to build the human capital that can serve a country's development objectives, contribute to greater productivity and improve people's living conditions. Education, a key pillar of early childhood development, is particularly a proven vehicle for long-term human development and inequality reduction.

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Early Childhood Education in Morocco: A Critical Window of Opportunities

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Lack of Early childhood programs perpetuates inequality While good quality ECD is important for all children, it is essential to support the development of children in disadvantaged settings. Indeed, various studies have demonstrated how investment in ECD can help reduce inequality and break the cycle of poverty.

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Our Team | ÉCOLE PLANÈTE MONTESSORI | Marrakech | INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE |

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EMC is the first and only true Montessori school in Morocco, which offers a program following Dr. Maria Montessori's method.