Advancing Preschool Education in Morocco: Goals for Inclusion, Quality, and Sustainable Governance
Executive Summary
From 2018 to 2028, Morocco aims to achieve three objectives: ensuring the widespread availability of equitable and inclusive preschool education, guaranteeing uniform and high-quality preschool education, and establishing effective governance and a sustainable, viable, and resilient financing framework. During the past 4 years, several actions have been carried out by the Ministry of National Education, Preschool Sports, the Ministry of the Interior through the INDH, civil society actors.
Implementation
During the past 4 years, several actions have been carried out by the Ministry of National Education, Preschool Sports, the Ministry of the Interior through the INDH, civil society actors.The results that have been achieved are very encouraging in terms of the extension of the offer and the establishment of quality and governance standards; the preschool rate reached 72.5% in 2021 (compared to 49% in 2018)
Stakeholders and partners involved
The target group: children aged 4 to 6 and educators who work in the public and private sector in addition to the unstructured, in both settings; urban and rural. The ministry of national education, preschool and sports is the main actor in the national programme for the development and generalization of preschool in addition to the INDH. It is through the State budget that the Ministry provides funding for this programme with the involvement of key partners INDH, local authorities.
Impact
The preschool rate reached 72.5% in 2021 (compared to 49% in 2018). The programme has positively impacted early childhood education in Morocco and here are some aspects: Improving the school enrollment rate of children aged 4 to 6; Strengthening the professional capacities of human resources through initial and continuous training programmes; The definition and dissemination of educational content in accordance with the curriculum framework; Improving the quality of preschool education; Upgrading the current preschool; Positive discrimination in favor of rural and peri-urban areas; Raising the awareness of parents and the associative fabric on the importance of preschool; The guarantee of free public pre-school education, while enshrining its compulsory nature.
Innovations
A Transformative Leap for Children Aged 4 to 6
The programme has ensured a quantitative and qualitative leap for preschool for the benefit of children aged between 4 and 6 years. The success factors are essentially the Royal and institutional support of the programme, the involvement and mobilization of the financial resources necessary for the implementation of the programme, the convergence of public policies to create synergy and the involvement of civil society and also the ministry has been able to take advantage of international cooperation in the field of preschool
Constraints
Stability of human resources in preschool in the absence of visibility and an attractive career plan that can guarantee the retention of educators in their position for as long as possible; The training offer for preschool is fragmented and not standardized between the various public, private and associative actors. Also, existing human resources are characterized by a plethora of heterogeneous profiles; Lack of human resources responsible for the management of preschool at central, regional and provincial level despite the presence of structures; Mobilization of sufficient and sustainable financial resources
The Use of a Participatory and Proactive Approach Involving Local Stakeholders Contributes to the Sustainability of Projects
Participatory and proactive approach based on the involvement of local actors and also realistic in terms of milestones set and targets to be achieved.