Morocco has been granted an additional $250 million, equivalent to 2.5 billion dirhams, by the World Bank to aid in the reform of the country’s education sector. This funding is supplementary to the $500 million program that received approval in 2019.
The objective of this funding is to assist the Moroccan government in implementing a highly ambitious education reform agenda. This agenda includes expanding quality early childhood education services, enhancing teaching practices in primary and secondary education, and strengthening management capacity and accountability to improve learning outcomes.
According to the International Finance Corporation, the program has made significant contributions to raising the quality of early childhood education, strengthening the capabilities of the teaching workforce, and enhancing management and governance capabilities, especially at the regional level. This additional financing aims to achieve more ambitious outcomes for the sector, while simultaneously facilitating access to education and flexibility in a comprehensive and effective manner in the post-COVID-19 era.
According to the announcement, the extra funding will allow for the pursuit of more ambitious objectives in enhancing learning assessment and its results. Louise Mingi Imfono, a Senior Education Expert at the World Bank, explained that the program aims to benefit 100,000 students enrolled in the initial education units awarded the quality mark. Additionally, the program aims to enhance the professional qualifications of teachers by leveraging innovative educational methods.
The education sector in Morocco aims to achieve more ambitious results and pave the way for a better future for the country’s youth. To do so, they anticipate that 10,000 teachers will complete a training program before serving in the initial education stage, and another 10,000 will complete training while serving in the same stage. Additionally, they expect that 12,000 new students will enroll in the first year of the 3-year specialized Bachelor of Education course program for the academic year 2023/2024.