How are schools in Morocco Structured?
What are the requirements and responsibilities like for administrators?
Requirements? I observed that the "headmaster" of most schools appeared to have a mostly administrative roll in the school. They were stationed in a large office and spent much time looking at spreadsheets of numbers in arabic. There were also many other administrators below them that appeared to handle specialized areas like technology, records, etc.
What do leadership models in education in Morocco look like?
I observed a total absence of leadership models as we know them in the US. I felt like this was an explanation for a lot of problems that I observed in schools. Due to the fact that the administration typically held a role of a manager rather than a leader and developer of school culture I found morale to be low. I didn't observe evidence of continuous improvement or the idea of creating a school culture of pride and group input and leadership.
What is the prevalent educational philosophy?
I observed that schooling is available free and to the public. It was interesting to me to observe that while education is available- it is not always "accessible" to students. Most educational practice that I observed consisted of the teacher standing in front of the classroom lecturing to the class or leading a class discussion. There seems to be a prevalent theme of sink or swim and an attitude that private schooling is better quality than public schooling.
What best practices are used in education in Morocco?
Most teachers that I observed stood in the front of the classroom and either lectured or led a discussion. I saw little evidence of usage of materials outside the provided curriculum or technology in classrooms. In a few classrooms I observed teachers asking students to work in pairs or small groups- usually "talk to your partner about" or "share a book and answer questions". In science classes I observed some teacher demonstrations and the majority of students keeping intricate notebooks with lecture notes and parts of handouts- diagrams, etc. pasted inside; there are no student lab exercises and courses were entirely lecture based.
What kinds of innovations are being tested in schools?
Speaking with the ministry of education officials it was evident that the goal of the government is to get more technology into schools. The largest school improvement movement that we learned about was ensuring that every school in Morocco had a computer lab (we observed a lab with very nice desktop computers as well as an overhead projector in Katchkat but the students said they had never been in there before). The ministry would like to add more computers and interactive whiteboards in schools.
What are the challenges of educating students in Morocco?
According to the Director of the Ministry of Education some of the challenges are adequately funding schools, meeting the needs of diverse students, and preparing students for a global economy.
How are schools funded in Morocco?
According to the Director of the Ministry of Education schools are funded on the national level and consume much of the budget of Morocco.
Who controls schools?
Schools are controlled top down by the national government who dictates the curriculum and policy, standards, and externally administers exit exam requirements that schools must adhere to.
Where are schools located?
According to the Director of the Ministry of Education this is one of the major accomplishments of the administration- schools are located throughout Morocco and much more accessible to students than in the history of the country. In some areas students must attend boarding schools, etc. due to long distances between some villages and schools but education is more widely spread and accessible than ever before.
Do students have equal access to schools?
Students in rural areas do not have the same access to schools as their urban counterparts. In urban areas there are private schools and public schools to choose from. In rural areas most students attend only elementary level Koranic schools where they learn some basic academics but mostly focus on religion taught by by a man selected in the community based on trust, character, and knowledge of the Koran; this teacher holds a high level of esteem in these rural communities. These rural Koranic schools are known as KuTTAB or M'SEE and usually attached to or held in the Mosque in the community. After completing that education those students will go directly to work in the fields. Most of the schools educate male students (95%), very few of the females go to these schools and if they do they go only for a short period of time. The government has tried sending trained teachers to rural areas in sort of a "mobile school" to try to educate more females but the traditional mindset has made these schools largely unsuccessful in getting more students educated. In order to try to encourage people to attend school they have tried to offer incentives such as bicycles or guarantees of paid board to attend secondary school but this was also unsuccessful.
How diverse are schools?
I observed school students to be about 50/50 males and females. I saw little ethnic or religious diversity among students or teachers. I was pleased to see there were female teachers, especially in math and science, but they were grossly outnumbered by male teachers. (I only observed upper level schools)
What is the physical environment like?
The physical environment of public schools was pretty dismal in comparison to private schools. Most of the public schools I observed were aging facilities with degraded paint, graffiti on the walls, desks with 50 years of graffiti on them, chalkboards that were impossible to fully erase and endless amounts of garbage on the floors. In stark contrast the private schools were newer buildings with fresh paint, new desks, scientific equipment, and in some cases computers and interactive whiteboards in the classrooms, the litter was also not present in the private school facilities.
How prevalent is technology and how is it used?
In the private school system we observed a teacher using an interactive whiteboard in class but the usage of it was clumsy and in some ways detracted from the lesson. In several private schools we observed teachers using a projector- one used a powerpoint presentation as a framework for her lesson, another used a some textbook provided animations in a science course. We also found very nice computers available in the computer labs at most schools- at the public school though the students said they'd never even seen the equipment before and we learned that the teachers were not using it because they had not yet been trained; at the private school we were told they were not using the computers because since the school was only in it's second year they had not yet gotten an internet connection.
What outcomes are expected from schools?
Students are expected to pass an exam at the completion of the education in order to graduate. If students pass the exam and score highly enough they will be accepted to a university where they are able to study for free.
Does education include vocational preparation?
Upon completion of Collegial (middle school) students must select a "track" or "pathway" that will guide their courses in their Qualifying (high school). During Qualifying there is some flexibility for students to change their pathway. Eventually the choice becomes more set and people must stay with their career choice for their lifetime. There are not educational or training opportunities for people to change careers later in their lives.
Is the goal of schools for students to enter college?
The goal of school outcome is highly dependent upon the area where people live.
What pieces of the structure of schools in Morocco might be used to improve our schools in the US?
Requirements? I observed that the "headmaster" of most schools appeared to have a mostly administrative roll in the school. They were stationed in a large office and spent much time looking at spreadsheets of numbers in arabic. There were also many other administrators below them that appeared to handle specialized areas like technology, records, etc.
What do leadership models in education in Morocco look like?
I observed a total absence of leadership models as we know them in the US. I felt like this was an explanation for a lot of problems that I observed in schools. Due to the fact that the administration typically held a role of a manager rather than a leader and developer of school culture I found morale to be low. I didn't observe evidence of continuous improvement or the idea of creating a school culture of pride and group input and leadership.
What is the prevalent educational philosophy?
I observed that schooling is available free and to the public. It was interesting to me to observe that while education is available- it is not always "accessible" to students. Most educational practice that I observed consisted of the teacher standing in front of the classroom lecturing to the class or leading a class discussion. There seems to be a prevalent theme of sink or swim and an attitude that private schooling is better quality than public schooling.
What best practices are used in education in Morocco?
Most teachers that I observed stood in the front of the classroom and either lectured or led a discussion. I saw little evidence of usage of materials outside the provided curriculum or technology in classrooms. In a few classrooms I observed teachers asking students to work in pairs or small groups- usually "talk to your partner about" or "share a book and answer questions". In science classes I observed some teacher demonstrations and the majority of students keeping intricate notebooks with lecture notes and parts of handouts- diagrams, etc. pasted inside; there are no student lab exercises and courses were entirely lecture based.
What kinds of innovations are being tested in schools?
Speaking with the ministry of education officials it was evident that the goal of the government is to get more technology into schools. The largest school improvement movement that we learned about was ensuring that every school in Morocco had a computer lab (we observed a lab with very nice desktop computers as well as an overhead projector in Katchkat but the students said they had never been in there before). The ministry would like to add more computers and interactive whiteboards in schools.
What are the challenges of educating students in Morocco?
According to the Director of the Ministry of Education some of the challenges are adequately funding schools, meeting the needs of diverse students, and preparing students for a global economy.
How are schools funded in Morocco?
According to the Director of the Ministry of Education schools are funded on the national level and consume much of the budget of Morocco.
Who controls schools?
Schools are controlled top down by the national government who dictates the curriculum and policy, standards, and externally administers exit exam requirements that schools must adhere to.
Where are schools located?
According to the Director of the Ministry of Education this is one of the major accomplishments of the administration- schools are located throughout Morocco and much more accessible to students than in the history of the country. In some areas students must attend boarding schools, etc. due to long distances between some villages and schools but education is more widely spread and accessible than ever before.
Do students have equal access to schools?
Students in rural areas do not have the same access to schools as their urban counterparts. In urban areas there are private schools and public schools to choose from. In rural areas most students attend only elementary level Koranic schools where they learn some basic academics but mostly focus on religion taught by by a man selected in the community based on trust, character, and knowledge of the Koran; this teacher holds a high level of esteem in these rural communities. These rural Koranic schools are known as KuTTAB or M'SEE and usually attached to or held in the Mosque in the community. After completing that education those students will go directly to work in the fields. Most of the schools educate male students (95%), very few of the females go to these schools and if they do they go only for a short period of time. The government has tried sending trained teachers to rural areas in sort of a "mobile school" to try to educate more females but the traditional mindset has made these schools largely unsuccessful in getting more students educated. In order to try to encourage people to attend school they have tried to offer incentives such as bicycles or guarantees of paid board to attend secondary school but this was also unsuccessful.
How diverse are schools?
I observed school students to be about 50/50 males and females. I saw little ethnic or religious diversity among students or teachers. I was pleased to see there were female teachers, especially in math and science, but they were grossly outnumbered by male teachers. (I only observed upper level schools)
What is the physical environment like?
The physical environment of public schools was pretty dismal in comparison to private schools. Most of the public schools I observed were aging facilities with degraded paint, graffiti on the walls, desks with 50 years of graffiti on them, chalkboards that were impossible to fully erase and endless amounts of garbage on the floors. In stark contrast the private schools were newer buildings with fresh paint, new desks, scientific equipment, and in some cases computers and interactive whiteboards in the classrooms, the litter was also not present in the private school facilities.
How prevalent is technology and how is it used?
In the private school system we observed a teacher using an interactive whiteboard in class but the usage of it was clumsy and in some ways detracted from the lesson. In several private schools we observed teachers using a projector- one used a powerpoint presentation as a framework for her lesson, another used a some textbook provided animations in a science course. We also found very nice computers available in the computer labs at most schools- at the public school though the students said they'd never even seen the equipment before and we learned that the teachers were not using it because they had not yet been trained; at the private school we were told they were not using the computers because since the school was only in it's second year they had not yet gotten an internet connection.
What outcomes are expected from schools?
Students are expected to pass an exam at the completion of the education in order to graduate. If students pass the exam and score highly enough they will be accepted to a university where they are able to study for free.
Does education include vocational preparation?
Upon completion of Collegial (middle school) students must select a "track" or "pathway" that will guide their courses in their Qualifying (high school). During Qualifying there is some flexibility for students to change their pathway. Eventually the choice becomes more set and people must stay with their career choice for their lifetime. There are not educational or training opportunities for people to change careers later in their lives.
Is the goal of schools for students to enter college?
The goal of school outcome is highly dependent upon the area where people live.
What pieces of the structure of schools in Morocco might be used to improve our schools in the US?
- Don't spend so much time focusing on resource development- great learning occurs because of great teaching; the walls of the building don't teach the students; make good use of what you have around you.
- Leadership is critical to the development of school culture!
- Technology isn't answer to all of our problems- good teaching can happen with or without it and maybe it isn't the best use of our budgets.
- Never underestimate the power of exposing students to something or someone new! A short time can be life changing.