Moroccans favour private education

14/09/2006

Many Moroccan parents prefer private schools because they feel the institutions offer more to their children and can give them a brighter future.

By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 14/09/06

[File] Private schools are chosen by most parents who can afford it.

The number of pupils being sent to private schools in Morocco has noticeably risen over the past few years, as parents want to ensure their children receive high-quality education. Around 500,000 pupils are currently being taught to read and write by the private sector.

Khalid Al Idrissi, a teacher in a state school, chose a private school this year for his four-year-old daughter.

"I gave the decision a lot of thought. My daughter needs to start learning two languages, Arabic and French, from a very early age. Also, the state school is overcrowded. That's why I thought it would be better to put my daughter in a more favourable environment," he said.

Most of his colleagues, and other who have the money, have made the same decision.

"I definitely wouldn't send my child to a public school. In the private sector, there are lots of extracurricular activities, like music and painting, which encourage children to thrive," says student Imrane Rajae.

While the public has great confidence in private schools, their quality depends on cost.

"The prices aren't fixed, it's a matter of supply and demand. You have to know where the best place is for your child. Sometimes a school may not provide the education you're looking for, as I've found out from experience," says photographer Sarhane Aissa. His eight-year-old daughter has been in three schools, which he all found unsatisfactory

"At the first school, she was given too much homework and she found it hard to keep up. At the second, they didn't pay enough attention to the children's health. This year, I've had her enrolled in a school near where I live. I just hope it'll be the last time I have to move her," he said.

"Parents shouldn't choose just any old private school. They should get to know everything about the school: the curriculum, the other children, the standard of teaching. That's what I did before sending my son to private school when he was three-years-old," declares engineer Abderrahmane Kadiri.

All private schools are obliged to provide the state curriculum as a minimum, but they are free to add any activities they consider necessary. Any school which fails to comply with the standards set by the Minister of National Education is closed down.

The Moroccan government is committed to developing private education, hoping the private sector will work alongside it to ensure that everyone receives an education.

According to the Minister of National Education, only 6 per cent of children are currently being taught in the private sector. The National Charter on Education and Training has set a target of 20 per cent to by 2010.

Most private schools are in urban areas, with shortages existing in rural areas. Presently, 47 per cent of private schools are situated along the stretch of Atlantic coastline between Kenitra and Casablanca, while the remaining 53 per cent are scattered among larger cities in other regions of the country.