Reading, Math, Science… Morocco's Education is Very Average
19 May 2015
Read by 2097 persons
Reports confirming the failure of the national education system are multiplying. The latest is from the OECD: "Universal Basic Skills: What Countries Stand to Gain"(1), which strongly criticizes the Moroccan school system. The conclusions are based on the general results of tests in reading, mathematics, and science.
Out of 76 countries, Morocco is ranked 73rd in terms of basic skills. The evaluation concerns 15-year-old students. The Kingdom is among the countries where more than two-thirds of students fail to reach the basic skills level. These results should, in principle, concern the supervising ministry and especially the Higher Council of Education, Training, and Scientific Research, which is examining the draft strategic vision for reforming the Moroccan school (2015-2030).
The OECD based its assessment on the results of the international PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) and TIMMS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) tests. Honduras, South Africa, and Ghana occupy the last places. Even the wealthiest countries in the world have significant populations lacking basic skills: Luxembourg (25%), Norway (22%), the United States (24%), and Switzerland (14%).
The top places go to Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. Singapore is a model of success, as it had one of the highest illiteracy rates in the world in the 1960s.
The authors of the report attempted to demonstrate a link between education and economic growth. Education would thus be an important way to measure productivity and wealth. Indeed, the Kingdom could increase its current GDP 15 times if all its students acquired basic skills. This would improve employment and help reduce poverty.
Note that the results of this study will be officially presented this week in South Korea, at the UNESCO World Education Forum (May 19-22, 2015).
The Damage of Absenteeism
In its review of Education for All, UNESCO was particularly concerned about the phenomenon of absenteeism. Morocco is cited among the countries where lost class hours represented between 39% and 78% of the officially scheduled instruction time. Teacher absenteeism has negative repercussions on student learning, reducing the number of hours where children actually benefit from teaching. The actual time available for instruction also depends on how teachers and students use the time spent in class. The loss of instruction time and its inefficient use are hallmarks of poor-quality education, which, in many countries, makes private education more attractive than public instruction in the eyes of parents. In its 2015 edition of the Global Monitoring Report on Education for All, progress and challenges (GMR), UNESCO concluded that universal primary schooling is progressing.
Fatim-Zahra TOHRY
Leconomiste.com
Published May 18, 2015.
Posted online May 19, 2015.
Out of 76 countries, Morocco is ranked 73rd in terms of basic skills. The evaluation concerns 15-year-old students. The Kingdom is among the countries where more than two-thirds of students fail to reach the basic skills level. These results should, in principle, concern the supervising ministry and especially the Higher Council of Education, Training, and Scientific Research, which is examining the draft strategic vision for reforming the Moroccan school (2015-2030).
The OECD based its assessment on the results of the international PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) and TIMMS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) tests. Honduras, South Africa, and Ghana occupy the last places. Even the wealthiest countries in the world have significant populations lacking basic skills: Luxembourg (25%), Norway (22%), the United States (24%), and Switzerland (14%).
The top places go to Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. Singapore is a model of success, as it had one of the highest illiteracy rates in the world in the 1960s.
The authors of the report attempted to demonstrate a link between education and economic growth. Education would thus be an important way to measure productivity and wealth. Indeed, the Kingdom could increase its current GDP 15 times if all its students acquired basic skills. This would improve employment and help reduce poverty.
Note that the results of this study will be officially presented this week in South Korea, at the UNESCO World Education Forum (May 19-22, 2015).
The Damage of Absenteeism
In its review of Education for All, UNESCO was particularly concerned about the phenomenon of absenteeism. Morocco is cited among the countries where lost class hours represented between 39% and 78% of the officially scheduled instruction time. Teacher absenteeism has negative repercussions on student learning, reducing the number of hours where children actually benefit from teaching. The actual time available for instruction also depends on how teachers and students use the time spent in class. The loss of instruction time and its inefficient use are hallmarks of poor-quality education, which, in many countries, makes private education more attractive than public instruction in the eyes of parents. In its 2015 edition of the Global Monitoring Report on Education for All, progress and challenges (GMR), UNESCO concluded that universal primary schooling is progressing.
Fatim-Zahra TOHRY
Leconomiste.com
Published May 18, 2015.
Posted online May 19, 2015.
