Teachers
Morocco is split up into 16 (soon to be 12) different regions. These 16 regions are under the direct authority of the Moroccan Educational Minister. He and the ministry have total control of the Moroccan curriculum in all 16 regions. Teachers and principals do not work for nor are they hired by their schools but by the central national ministry. Teachers do not get to choose where they are placed but rather are assigned. The better teacher you are and the longer you have taught, the closer you get to teaching where you would like. Most try to get jobs as close as they can to the area where they grew up. Teachers generally get paid $400 (aprox. 4,000 Moroccan dirham) a month and must often teach after hour classes or tutor to make enough to live on. Since teachers generally only work 20 hours a week, many will find jobs at private school as well. Teachers are observed by supervisors from their region and determine how good the teacher is (helping them collect points and choose their next placement). There is little fear of losing jobs since public teachers are for the most part guaranteed a job for life. The principal has no control over what occurs in the classroom. A teacher can ask them to leave if they enter. Principals and assistant principals simply run the school and are equal to teachers. They are often responsible for finding additional funding for their schools. The supervisors (aka inspectors) grade teachers and organize training events for each region.
Students
Children will go through what they call education cycles.
The first cycle is called the Pre-school and Primary cycle and students begin at age 6. In this cycle, basic skills are learned including the basics of the Koran. The Primary school lasts for 6 years and students must pass Certificat d’etudes (standardized test) in order to move on to Lower Secondary. This cycle would compare to PK, K, and elementary school.
Lower Secondary best compares to our Jr. High and takes three years if a student passes all of his/her tests. They then move on to qualifying for the secondary cycle. This would be like our high school and lasts 2 years in which students are exposed to common core curriculum in the first year and then are tracked in their second year. Morocco offers three tracks.
1) Modern track: for students who will study language, science, math etc.
2) Original Track: focuses on religious studies of the Koran.
3) Technical Track: skilled workforce
Students in tracks one and two are more likely to attend university or madrassa (Islamic religious school). Morocco has 14 major public universities and attendance is free to Moroccans but most students want to attend schools abroad in France, the UK or the US.
Students will attend school from 8 a.m.-12 p.m, go home for lunch (the largest meal in Morocco) and come back if they have class from 2 p.m.-6 p.m. The track they are on will often determine how often they have class in the afternoon.
Private schools exist and are generally thought to be better than public schools at all levels of education but many Moroccans cannot afford them. Class sizes are significantly smaller in the private sector and they often have more resources available to them.
Morocco is split up into 16 (soon to be 12) different regions. These 16 regions are under the direct authority of the Moroccan Educational Minister. He and the ministry have total control of the Moroccan curriculum in all 16 regions. Teachers and principals do not work for nor are they hired by their schools but by the central national ministry. Teachers do not get to choose where they are placed but rather are assigned. The better teacher you are and the longer you have taught, the closer you get to teaching where you would like. Most try to get jobs as close as they can to the area where they grew up. Teachers generally get paid $400 (aprox. 4,000 Moroccan dirham) a month and must often teach after hour classes or tutor to make enough to live on. Since teachers generally only work 20 hours a week, many will find jobs at private school as well. Teachers are observed by supervisors from their region and determine how good the teacher is (helping them collect points and choose their next placement). There is little fear of losing jobs since public teachers are for the most part guaranteed a job for life. The principal has no control over what occurs in the classroom. A teacher can ask them to leave if they enter. Principals and assistant principals simply run the school and are equal to teachers. They are often responsible for finding additional funding for their schools. The supervisors (aka inspectors) grade teachers and organize training events for each region.
Students
Children will go through what they call education cycles.
The first cycle is called the Pre-school and Primary cycle and students begin at age 6. In this cycle, basic skills are learned including the basics of the Koran. The Primary school lasts for 6 years and students must pass Certificat d’etudes (standardized test) in order to move on to Lower Secondary. This cycle would compare to PK, K, and elementary school.
Lower Secondary best compares to our Jr. High and takes three years if a student passes all of his/her tests. They then move on to qualifying for the secondary cycle. This would be like our high school and lasts 2 years in which students are exposed to common core curriculum in the first year and then are tracked in their second year. Morocco offers three tracks.
1) Modern track: for students who will study language, science, math etc.
2) Original Track: focuses on religious studies of the Koran.
3) Technical Track: skilled workforce
Students in tracks one and two are more likely to attend university or madrassa (Islamic religious school). Morocco has 14 major public universities and attendance is free to Moroccans but most students want to attend schools abroad in France, the UK or the US.
Students will attend school from 8 a.m.-12 p.m, go home for lunch (the largest meal in Morocco) and come back if they have class from 2 p.m.-6 p.m. The track they are on will often determine how often they have class in the afternoon.
Private schools exist and are generally thought to be better than public schools at all levels of education but many Moroccans cannot afford them. Class sizes are significantly smaller in the private sector and they often have more resources available to them.