Transforming Schools Conditions for the Future

Abstract

Do we need to transform our schools? Why and how? We had the opportunity to transform our educational system in 2000 but the transformational opportunities were not adequately mobilised to innovate and drive forward learning experiences in keeping with the needs of the future. The lowest performers in education quality in North Africa and Middle East are Morocco, Iraq, Yemen and Djibbouti. It is neither funding nor political unrest which affect education achievements according to the world results in education. What is behind Morocco low performance, then? Do we lack the will and determination to change the poor quality of education? Do we lack the right policymakers and engineers of education reform? Do we really know and admit with courage and responsibility our weaknesses in education development when we attempt to resolve problems?
 To overcome the challenges faced by the education sector, the Moroccan Government embarked on a comprehensive reform of the education and training system, with 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 raining, and established education and training as a national priority, second only to territorial integrity." (World Bank, 2010)
 According to a UNESCO report in 2010 the Moroccan educational system is in a crisis and its major challenges are equity of the system, low quality of learning, lack of internal and external efficiency of the system, and ineffectiveness of the educational sector. Other problems, according to the UNESCO report, like the high rate of dropouts and the dramatic gap between the graduates and the needs of the labour market are what characterise the Moroccan education system.