HIBAPRESS
The Democratic Union of Education and Training, under the umbrella of the Federation of Democratic Unions, criticized the Ministry of National Education, Preschool and Sports' management of the "Pioneer Schools" project, considering that the project lacks a sound theoretical framework, after three years of "testing and experimentation".
The statement, of which HIBAPRESS received a copy, noted that the ministry continues to manage the project centrally from its headquarters in Rabat, by retaining the decision to plan and control the preparation of lessons and formulating them into digital formats that are distributed to various regions, which the union described as "excessive centralization" that does not align with contemporary administrative and educational systems, nor does it take into account the specifics of institutions and departments. The union also criticized what it called the weakness of the training provided to educational staff, both in quantity and quality, explaining that it does not measure up to the announced transformations in the reform of the education and training system, and pointing out that the teacher has been stripped of their pedagogical role, and has become merely an executor of pre-prepared content, without room for creativity or modification, while depriving them of the power of assessment and evaluation and immersing them in formal tasks related to centrally determined schedules and digital platforms. The statement also addressed the "exam leaks" incident, considering that the way it was handled deepened the confusion within the pioneer institutions, due to what it described as arbitrariness and the absence of institutional communication, as the event was dealt with through unofficial statements and "WhatsApp" messages at late hours of the night, which undermined the credibility of the assessment, and deepened the feeling of disdain and lack of appreciation among the teachers, according to its expression. The union also noted, with great concern, the shift of priority from the essence of the educational process to the logic of form and technical management, which deprived educational institutions of the ability to carry out real tests to assess basic learning, and made them hostage to central arrangements that "have proven their inability to provide effective pedagogical alternatives". In contrast, the union expressed its high greetings to the women and men of education, appreciating their sacrifices and the efforts they make in the face of the accumulation of professional, organizational and pedagogical constraints, and confirming that any real reform of public schools cannot succeed without restoring the status of the teacher, in terms of fairness, empowerment and respect for their central role. The union announced its absolute solidarity with the teachers of the pioneer institutions who reject the current form of continuous monitoring and digital tracking, because of the time and professional drain it causes and the undermining of the independence of educational action, and also condemned the exam leaks, demanding not only investigation and accountability, but also a comprehensive evaluation of the project before turning it into an "experimental field instead of actual reform". It also demanded the cessation of what it described as "systematic depletion" to which teachers are subjected by obliging them to additional tasks outside the legal and organizational frameworks, including the procedure for recording competencies, while at the same time calling for the establishment of a fixed and motivating monthly allowance for educational staff in pioneer institutions, in line with the principle of fairness and professional justice. The union called on the Ministry of National Education to abandon the rigid central administrative system, which it considered no longer compatible with the spirit of the constitution or with the requirements of good governance, holding the supervisory authorities fully responsible for what may result from imposing this form of tension within educational institutions. The union concluded its statement by calling on the educational workers to mobilize and prepare to engage in all legitimate forms of struggle, in defense of the dignity of teachers and the protection of public schools from "irresponsibility and experimentation", stressing that real reform is not imposed by memoranda or by central administration, but is built on trust in the women and men of education and listening to the field.
