One of the pictures I have in my mind, when I think of Morocco, is of all the children with school bags on their backs on their way to school.
Small preschool-children hand in hand accompanied by a older siblings, bigger children talking and laughing on their way home, groups of girls in white school coats...
It gave me a vivid impression of Morocco's effort of fighting analphabetism among the children.
On UNICEF's website I found these comparing statitistics about Morocco and some other countries:
From 1996 to 2003 the primary school enrolment/attendance was 88 percent, but as the first link shows, is the attendance of girls at primary school still behind the percentage of the boys.
We talked with school children, when we were in Morocco, and my children had the opportunity to participate in French and math lessons in a rural school. A boy told us, that when he took the test for secondary school, there were twelve girls taking the test. Ten of the girls passed the test, but only one of the girls continued her education in secondary school. So I think, that the difference between girls and boys may be higher in secondary school, than in primary school.
Several people we talked with, told us, that schooling is one side of the problem, but what is worrying them, is the perspective of few jobs and difficulties of employment for their children.
One woman told me about her children studying abroad. "Will they come back after finishing studies?" I asked her. Her answer: "No, I don't think so. There won't be jobs, there is no future for them in Morocco."
Another person told me that it depends on, what kind of education/studies you choose, if you will be able to get a job or not.
I would like to hear your opinion as Moroccans living abroad. What do you think about young people's chances and life in Morocco? And are you planning to go back to your home country?
It´s a good issue, you started. I think that Morocco is still far from providing good chances for a future for all its youth. But I see that things are moving foreward. The country waisted precious time and many opportunities under the regime of the former king. When we talk about education, I think that all what a person learns is usefull. But if that is enough to open some doors and chances for moroccans wanting to go back home, I doubt it. The country still needs some reforms and upgrade. For instance state employees still cannot, and in many cases wouldn´t want to catch up and follow the changes. Cause if there is anything that kills people´s enthousiasm and motivation to develop their country; that is corruption, incompetance of the authorities and laziness of state´s employees. I guess you and I know a good example, here in scandinavian countries. Although people pay the highest taxes in the world; they´re still the most satisfied about it. It´s abvious when every penny they pay is used for a good perpuse. About your last question, yes I´m still optimist and want to go back to Morocco if it´s possible, or at least give it a try.
The problem is that most persons who are lucky to get high education in Morocco do studies that are not suitable for the job market. People are studying for instance Physics and Chemistry , Philosophy, Arabic literature. Thy absolutely know that they are not going to find job with those kind of studies, but what to do? They have nor money either the choice to study something that assures good jobs....Those who didn’t finish their education are worst, they have no chance to have comfortable life. They are virtually condemned to fight every day for basic things such as food, rent, education for their kids who again will probably not be able to get access to the high or right education because of the poverty of their parents....Only few ‘‘ rich ‘‘people have the possibilities to study professions that lead to good positions. And so the wealthy people remain wealthy and poor people remain poor....this becomes obviously a vicious circle. However there is only one chance to get out from this misery, people think,...it’s the immigration to the western countries....everyone is absolutely certain that this must be the solution for their whole problems....they are such obsess by this idea and what ever you say and explain them no body will believes you ....it’s an obsession in the society !
I think the whole system is quite complicated...every issue is related to the other one....corruption has to do with injustice....with poverty...with the bad education ...with the unemployment...and so on . To solve one problem you get to consider 20 others.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/22/2005 08:22 by Ilhem2.
Dear Calendula I looked at your message this morning in my office and decided not to reply. In fact, after reading I was not in a mood to write about that issue. I think the decision to stay abroad or to go back home is a damm very hard one .It happend that I am asked about my opinion by those who are still struggling. I always reply that the decision can be a decision for life and it is you and you alone who should make it. I also add that once you make a decision you need to find peace with yourself since in both cases you have to live with some serious problems. After finishing my studies and getting some working experience, I went back and worked one year . I am not going to tell all details but this one year was on one side very hard and can be very hard for any individual who want to do his job in a serious and honest way, on the other side it was very helpful in making the decision to live abroad. I think as you know the moroccan society is very complex, but you really discover the political realities after dealing with the administrations and the decisions maker. There is an accepted status quo and state patronage
fisch stinkt am kopf
Regards
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/22/2005 11:57 by Krim.
Thank you very much for your answers. They illuminate each in their own way, how complex and difficult the discussion of this issue is. I especially appreciate that you, Krim, gave us a short summary of your experiences of returning to Morocco.
I see in this discussion two main topics so far:
- The generell conditions of life for young people living in Morocco.
- The situation af young Moroccan people, who have succeeded in going abroad, who succesfully have finished their studies and who are forced to return or have to make the decision if they should return to their home country.
Your answers made me to look for more information on the internet.
First I found an article in the Maghreb Arabic Press about the results of the children attending school:
They report about a study from the World Bank, which “revealed that only 25pc of Moroccan children who have been in primary schools can read, write and count…” and “…that out of 10 schooled children, 6 finish their primary school, 3 or 4 reach high schools, 2 reach the Baccalaureate level and only 1 gets enrolled in a university.”
In the article they point at the quality of the school education, as a cause for this result. I wonder also about, how the mixture of different languages influences the possiblity to learn to read and write? Speaking Tamazight and/or Darija and learning Standard Arabic and French at school must be difficult for many children, especially when the parents can't help. It will be interesting to know if the newly started teaching of Tamazight and Tifinagh at schools will help for the generell ability to write and read in Berber areas.
On the German website of Quantara.de I found two different articles with connection to our discussion:
“People who can neither count on an independent judiciary nor on a rule-bound administration are plagued by insecurity, harassment and dependence on personal good will. Arab countries under authoritarian control provide plenty of examples…”.
When we were in Morocco, we were told about efforts to combat corruption, for example in the police, by regularly changing the members in teams working together. One person I talked to said, that one can not only say it is the low wages causing corruption, otherwise there should not be corruption higher up in the system. It is very much a question of ethical standards, he said.
The next article refers to research about Moroccans students returning home after the end of their studies. It is, unfortunately for this forum, in German language.
The article shows, like also Krim wrote above, how difficult it is for many students to get a job and to adjust to and live with the challenges which wait for them after their return. And the examples show also that it was not the choice of subject of studies, which made it difficult to get a job. There is a report of a medical doctor, who had succesfully been working at a German hospital and who was deported from Germany. Three years after returning he was still waiting to get his licence for practising in Morocco.
The article tells also about initiatives and organisations, whose aim is to help to Moroccans coming from abroad to reintegrate in society.
But even if someone at last succeeds in getting a job in Morocco, there may be a constant longing for the country, where you have studied and been spending many years of your life, as one of the persons interviewed said.
And if you stay abroad…
As @Krim put it: “I think the decision to stay abroad or to go back home is a damm very hard one.” And: “…that once you make a decision you need to find peace with yourself since in both cases you have to live with some serious problems.”
is hard to see the truth. I will encourage any Moroccan that want to go back to start a living. but but..is not always a but... be independent!!
Cause to work for anybody, with low salary, less of respect between to boss and the employies.. will drive anybody crazy.
i stayed 5 month last year to watch how it will be in my case.. if i move back. the system is too hard, paper work is too crazy to understand. payment methode between companies and clients not that attractive.
somewhere i tell my self, shouldn´t be us that will make those changes. these people didn´t know any better. we should show them that they are ways of making things happen.
I guess new generation, is becaming very open about the west they know how things happen outside. so the idea is there just need to give it a kick.
i am may be a dreamer, but come on guys it will happen for us too. some of us live in Europe some in USA some In Austalia... and we know those people are not better than us.
we have the ability to do so ... and became even better. we just have to keep trying.
Thanks Candula for bringing up this such complex & important issue.
as per previous interventions the education issue is very complex back home & no one cares to address this .
What shocked me back home is the huge difference in standards ,in cities the education system is a big mess but the stds was still a lot higher than in the rural areas , as in these places the teachers are a law to them selves , 2 or 3 days a week & even when they are in they do not make no efforts ..... I know these teachers are dishearted & are not happy to be working in rural areas but this does not make it right not to do the job they are payed to do !
I feel with Profesionalism , respect , the right systems & patriotism we could do a lot better ! ( iam all hope )
For me going back home is a dream & a responsability & it was said before we need to set up small or big bisness & pass on what we learned to the young & take this as pay back to our lovely Bled (there is no place like home ).
salam alaikoum, fist of all,i would like to thank everyone of you for raising this important and critical issue which deals with the educational system in morocco and all the consequences that may result from it. well, as everyone of you i am proud to be moroccan and would love to go back to morocco and settle down,because the onlny place where we can have a peace of mind is our home country. but, as all of said,there is still a long way for our nation before it can reach its peak.i agree with you that education is one of the most important pillars of economic growth and expansion. beacause it s by educating people that we will fight poverty,corruption and unemployement as well as illeteracy. i came to the us to pursue my higher education, and sincerly there is a huge difference between the u.s educational system and the moroccan one. here,they provide their students with everything they need and want.back in morocco when i was still in high school,most of my professors didn t even like their jobs or knew what they were teaching us.it s really alarming when you see that these problems are still present in a country considered to be in its transition phase. moreover,as many of you mentioned, the majors offered are really unefficient and unrelated to our employement market criteria and needs. how can we teach students nuclear and physics majors while more than half of the population is living below the ligne of poverty.the moroccan government really needs to reorganise its educational strategies and structures. finaly,i hope that one day i will be able to help my country and contribute to the national developement because it s our first duty as fellow moroccan citizens. peace...
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