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Morocco’s Necessary Step Towards Online Public Education

Morocco’s Necessary Step Towards Online Public Education
admin Africa Sustainable Development

By Alon Ben-Meir II & Joyce Ait Ali*

MARRAKECH, Morocco | 8 May 2025 (WorldView) — The current education landscape worldwide is utilising online platforms to extend its population’s access to learning. A successful learning management system (LMS) is a central hub to virtually engage families, help teachers plan courses, and facilitate education, emphasising direct communication among all involved parties.

When introduced in Morocco, it could be life-changing for those labelled by the media as “excused absences,” even though Moroccan schooling is mandatory from ages six to fifteen. Legitimising the online curriculum that graduates the young population would aid the stated Ministry of Education’s 2026 goals. The population has yet to see any significant decline in these rates to give the 2022 reform its credit, partially evidenced by 300,000 children who dropped out in 2023.

The Kingdom’s history with online learning was before the 2022 reform, and lacked the updated curriculum and structure needed to engage students who were disadvantaged or unmotivated. Thus, the new model in a virtual classroom relies on revaluing participation as a key criterion to evaluate students, as this “reported higher levels of satisfaction and perceived learning and earned higher course grades” during online sessions, in line with the reform’s vision. The increased participation data gives educators insight into adapting lessons and improving their online classes.

The online vision must be a publicly funded education system because affordability and access are necessary to improve student turnout. The government could utilise this innovative instrument while it builds schools and solidifies its plans to mitigate ongoing logistical issues.

Source: Morocco World News

Scalability

To recover the loss of education, solutions with efficient scalability would offer graduation to everyone affected. To achieve easy passage of instruction and resources, an organised hub would allow every enrolled individual to bring their approach to the educational experience, and involving families in the system adds a pillar of integrity for an online initiative. This can make virtual learning an essential tool for advancing societies, and that props up the 2022 reform.

Opponents of online schooling cite the budget, lack of instructional support, and student engagement as reasons not to explore the feasibility of providing a virtual option. While all valid, these concerns can be addressed through academic planning and appropriate investments, including internet availability. Areas of Morocco lack the wired infrastructure found elsewhere, but other options remain open.

4G as an alternative reaches 99% of the urban population, and 75.5% of rural Moroccans own a mobile phone. Mobile data, as an alternative to a wired infrastructure, used subsidised education data platforms that reached 75% of students in lockdown. Yet, we know one in four people cannot access online platforms. Work needs to be done regardless of installing mobile coverage, and failed attempts show how effectiveness is determined by how strongly the system is built. In time, those in these remote areas will have the path to an online education.

Public-private initiatives

Public-private initiatives like Orange Maroc’s “Écoles Numériques,” which benefits seventeen thousand rural students with tablets and e-learning tools, and the government’s TelmidTICE platform, which served over 600,000 students daily during COVID-19, show that digital learning can reach large areas. Therefore, digitising the nation’s newly improved curriculum is a matter of how and when.

Compared to the high cost of constructing new schools at a price tag of €680,000 per rural school on average, a learning management system, cell phone data connection, and affordable computers would cost each student €300 upfront, dropping to €100 the following year. For the cost of building one school, the government could educate 2200 students by offering free access for low-income families and affordable costs for those who can afford it.

The Moroccan government must meet its goals, which require realisations that access and the global momentum all point towards digital platforms, but will be challenging to integrate. That being said, the intrinsic value of immersive and practical learning that is so urgently needed would not just improve but transform communities.

The practicality of providing opportunities to run simulations, explore ideas, and, most importantly, connect with the world for feedback and collaboration, all online, is priceless. The amount of employment this program needs to be successful, such as teachers, computer scientists, advisors, facilitators, and supervisors, will stimulate healthy economic growth.

The LMS will help Moroccans find a level of education that will solidify their academic foundation and lead to fulfilling careers. Following the applied learning model already written into law can drive opportunities leading to success and bring capital into communities, starting with the public education system.

*Alon Ben-Meir II is a writer exploring publishing to showcase the importance of technological innovation in the public sector. Joyce Ait Ali is the American School of Marrakech learning support coordinator and a published journalist. [WorldView]

Image credit: Alon Ben-Meir II on 28 July 2022.

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