Among the main objectives that the strategic vision 2015-2030 of the Supreme Council for Education, Training and Scientific Research aims to achieve, which is the roadmap for reforming the Moroccan educational system, is the goal of making the Moroccan school a school of equity and equal opportunities. It did not materialize, especially in the rural world.
Since the suspension of the study at its various levels, the discussion has revolved around the extent to which the “distance education” option can sustain students’ schooling at a normal pace. It appeared that thousands of students in the rural world found it difficult to keep pace with this new procedure, regardless of the content of the lessons that reach the students via The laws of the virtual world.
“We were told that the lessons will be available on the Internet and on television, but there are children in the villages whose parents do not have computers or even smart phones,” says Moha Erwa, a father of three children studying in primary education in the commune of Arbaa Ait Okbili, district of Azilal city.
This father continues that the students in the village in which he lives are lucky compared to their counterparts in other remote areas. In his village, at least, the houses are connected to the electricity network, and most families have a television, although most of the lessons are broadcast on the Internet, while there are villages, the speaker adds, that he did not reach. Electricity, “and its residents do not even have a TV.”
The regional office of the Moroccan Observatory for Community Oversight to Combat Corruption and Defend Human Rights in Azilal alerted the government authorities to the fact that a group of students in the rural world do not have the means to track lessons remotely, whether via the Internet or catching the broadcast of national channels, especially in remote areas.
In a statement issued by the observatory, the observatory considered that the lack of technical capabilities for a group of families will deprive thousands of students of the mechanism of communication with their educational institutions, and the tracking of digital and audio-visual materials produced specifically for this purpose.
For his part, Ali Fanash, Vice President of the National Federation of Associations of Parents and Guardians of Students in Morocco in charge of communication, said that there are deficiencies in the distance education process, especially with regard to the lack of technical tools for some students that allow them to benefit from these lessons, but he added that “ It is normal for such things to happen in these exceptional circumstances.”
Fanach indicated, in a statement to Hespress, that “the current situation is exceptional in all fields, and it is not possible to meet all the required conditions,” noting that the educational frameworks “are making a tremendous effort, and I personally witnessed teachers working to provide lessons for students in the rural world, and there Communication and jurisprudence must be noted.”
And the same spokesman continued, saying: "This does not mean that there is comprehensive coverage, and that all students in the rural world follow their lessons at a normal pace through distance education, but there is an effort made by the educational frameworks for which they thank," calling for the use of all possible channels to make students In the rural world they continue their studies normally.
Ahmed Mansouri, General Secretary of the Democratic Organization for Education, said that the current moment should be followed by a deep pause to take stock of the many shortcomings in the Moroccan educational system, which have become more prominent during the current situation, calling for a national debate in which expression is available for the various living forces in the working society in the education sector to provide its suggestions.
Mansouri praised the efforts made by educational frameworks to ensure the continuity of education, saying that they “have demonstrated their ability to face difficulties and challenges, despite the lack of capabilities, and expressed a high patriotic sense of their involvement in the distance education process by producing digital materials despite all the constraints, such as the lack of teachers.” on computers, and the weak throughput of the Internet.”
The union actor considered that the current situation “is not suitable for self-flagellation, but on the other hand we should think about what needs to be done in the future, and we have been assured that the real entrance to renaissance and development is science and rehabilitation of the school, especially the public, for women and men of education, and raising the budget for scientific research. which the government allocates only a very meager budget.”