Instruction for Mathematics and Science in Primary and Lower Secondary Grades

In Morocco, fourth grade mathematics is taught in two lessons per week, each lasting 2½ hours. Of these 5 hours of instructional time, 1 hour is devoted to remedial work and 1 hour is devoted to assessment. Eighth grade mathematics is taught for 4 hours per week. At the fourth grade, science is taught in two 45-minute sessions per week. At the eighth grade, science is taught for 28 hours per semester, focusing on each content area for 2 to 8 hours.

Grade at Which Specialist Teachers for Mathematics and Science are Introduced

Teachers with specialization in mathematics and science are critical for improving student mathematical ability and self-confidence. However, primary school teachers, unlike their peers in lower secondary schools, are not required to specialize in mathematics and science.

Instructional Materials, Equipment, and Laboratories

Mathematics and science teachers across the country use textbooks approved by the Ministry of National Education in compliance with book specifications issued by the ministry. Teachers may supplement the textbooks with materials designed by inspectors or supervisors to address specific student needs.

Until 1999, textbooks were designed by committees within the ministry. However, since the 2012–2013 school year, practitioners have been awaiting a new generation of primary school textbooks that will be available following approval on the basis of predetermined specifications and standards by a neutral jury of content area specialists appointed by the ministry.¹⁷

Science laboratories are not always available in primary schools. However, all lower secondary schools have their own science laboratories that accommodate requirements of the national curriculum. Greater efforts are being made to recruit more qualified laboratory technicians to ensure equipment maintenance and safety.

Use of Technology

Since 1999, the Ministry of Education has been implementing a policy promoting Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in education, in accordance with Article 10 of the Charter of Education and Training.¹⁸ In March 2005, the ministry launched the Generalization of Information Technologies and Communication in Education (GENIE) initiative to improve the quality of teaching and learning through the use of ICT in all public schools.¹⁹ Through GENIE, all Moroccan schools are being equipped with computer laboratories with Internet access, and are providing training for teachers, headmasters, advisors, and inspectors.

Accommodation Policies for Instruction and Testing

In Morocco, the education of children with disabilities and children with special education needs is a right guaranteed by the constitution and supporting legislation, and an observable fact in society and schools. All members of Moroccan society must comply with this policy, particularly in schools. The Ministry’s concern for educating children with disabilities has pushed many schools across the Kingdom of Morocco to introduce integrated classes. As recently as about 10 years ago, there were no more than 30 schools in which students were taught in integrated classes. At present, there are more than 690 integrated classes in 441 primary schools across Morocco. In addition, there are thousands of students with special needs, who are taught in mainstream classrooms alongside their peers in regular public schools.

Morocco has enacted and implemented international legislative and regulatory texts and contracted agreements on the integration of students with disabilities. Accordingly, the Ministry has adopted a national approach for inclusive education aiming to allow students with disabilities to attend school in mainstream classes or in integrated classes with other students with disabilities. The aim of integrated classes is to prepare students with disabilities for full integration in mainstream classes by integrating them first with other students with disabilities. This approach to progressive integration helps to facilitate the development of content, methods, and teaching techniques for students with disabilities. Schools with integrated classes serve children ages 6 to 15 with auditory or mild intellectual disabilities.

The Ministry, nongovernmental organizations, and civil society are acting as partners in implementing training programs for inspectors, coordinators, regular teachers, and teachers belonging to special education associations to improve their skills in the management of this group of learners. This task begins with an accurate diagnosis of students’ abilities and their learning pace. Significant advances in the education of children with special needs have been recorded in Morocco over the last 15 years. The number of children with disabilities attending school has increased by almost 12 times since the 2001–2002 school year. In the 2014–2015 school year, the number of students in integrated classes reached 6,498 (2,326 girls and 4,172 boys).

The Ministry of National Education has developed a regulatory and structural framework to facilitate the progressive integration of children with mild to medium disabilities in public schools in either regular or integrated classes, causing a noticeable increase in the number of integrated classes for children with autism, intellectual or motor disabilities, or auditory or visual disabilities, as well as for students with learning disorders. The figures also show that thousands of students with motor and mild mental disabilities or with chronic diseases attend regular classes without discrimination with the rest of their peers.

The Ministry of National Education has been making significant efforts to provide accessible ramps and educational services for students with disabilities. Efforts have been made to provide appropriate conditions for the administration of continuous assessment and examinations for students with disabilities at both the primary and secondary levels. For example, students with disabilities who are enrolled in regular schools take the same lower secondary and upper secondary exit examinations as their peers in mainstream classes, but measures are taken to provide the conditions necessary for them to be at ease during the administration of the tests (e.g., well-equipped, well-lit testing facilities and enlarged test materials). The nature and degree of student disabilities are taken into consideration during test administration. Sign language specialists are appointed to accompany deaf and/or mute children during examinations, and blind students are accompanied by scribes who read the questions and record student responses. A time extension of 30 minutes also may be granted for students with certain types of disabilities. Examinations are graded by teachers who have received special training.

To conclude, Morocco is focusing its efforts on the following:

Training all stakeholders in the field of inclusive education
Equipping all classes with appropriate materials for teaching and learning
Reducing the number of students in regular classrooms that also accommodate children with disabilities in order to create conditions conducive to effective teaching and learning
Raising awareness to promote the enrollment of children with special needs (some parents are reluctant to send their children to school if they have a disability or special needs)
Anticipating the number of children with disabilities enrolled every year
Developing partnerships and cooperation with other government sectors
Designing more training plans and modules for the benefit of inspectors and directors of academic institutions and associations, in partnership with the Mohamed V Foundation for Solidarity and the National Mohamed V Center for the Handicapped
Mobilizing decision makers to support the Ministry of Education in making its projects a success