Casablanca-Settat: The 2024-2025 school year, a crucial step in educational transformation

Hibapress / MAP

The 2024-2025 school year represents a crucial stage in the implementation of the education system transformation programs included in the 2022-2026 roadmap and aimed at establishing a favorable and motivating school environment, said the Director of the Academy of Education and Training in the Casablanca-Settat region (AREF), Abdelmoumen Talib.

“The educational reform programs have made it possible to achieve the strategic objectives set by the 2022-2026 Roadmap, mainly concerning the achievement of the desired change in classes, by doubling the number of students mastering basic learning, by supporting the promotion of the values ​​of openness and civic-mindedness and by guaranteeing compulsory schooling with the key to a reduction in the dropout rate while waiting for its eradication,” he assured in an interview on the occasion of the start of the school year.

He added that this school year is marked by the continued implementation of the “Pioneer Schools” project, which will be implemented from this year in 288 primary schools in the region, in addition to the 88 primary schools set up the previous school year, in addition to the adoption of the “Pioneer Colleges” model in 33 establishments.

Regarding the school offer, he reported the implementation of an ambitious program of extension and development of school infrastructures, in partnership with the parties concerned, in order to strengthen the capacity of schools to welcome students within the planned timeframes.

He assured, in this regard, that all arrangements have been made for the opening of 41 new establishments during the 2024-2025 school year, including 25 in rural areas, specifying that this includes 19 primary school establishments, including 11 in rural areas, 16 middle schools, including 9 in rural areas, and 6 high schools, including 5 in rural areas.

On this subject, Mr. Talib indicated that the school offer has been strengthened with the creation of 249 additional classes in primary school, including 167 in rural areas.

Asked, moreover, about the generalization of the teaching of the Amazigh and English languages ​​in the various educational establishments of the region, he said that, within the framework of the development of the pedagogical model at the level of primary and secondary cycles, particularly with regard to the improvement of language teaching, the Academy has important indicators.

With figures to support his claim, he revealed that in the primary cycle, the teaching of the Amazigh language has been generalized to a percentage of 31.20% of primary education establishments, an increase of 7 points compared to the previous school year.

As for the secondary school cycle, the teaching of the English language has been generalized in the second and third year of secondary school, rising to 65% for the first year, knowing that the national objective is only 50%, he welcomed.

Referring to the climate of this school year, he noted that preparations began very early, in accordance with the plan established for this purpose, in order to guarantee a successful start to this school year held under the banner “For a quality public school for all”, before calling on all components of education and training in the region to demonstrate mobilization and self-sacrifice to guarantee the success of this school year in the region and achieve the objectives set within the framework of the roadmap, first and foremost the challenge of a quality public school for all.

It should be noted that the number of students enrolled in public education this year in the Casablanca-Settat region is 1,595,000, including 602,203 in primary schools, 357,488 middle schools and 240,512 high schools, in addition to 395,082 in private education. The region has 1,878 schools, including 1,202 primary schools, 407 middle schools and 269 qualifying high schools.