When cinema transforms learning in pioneering colleges…

For a long time confined to simple extracurricular activities or local initiatives that struggle to keep their promises, the arts are finally integrating the student’s central educational program, thus supporting a new educational approach focused on the art of saying, doing and to be.

In pioneer colleges, a new public school model, the Ministry of National Education is committed, alongside the Ali Zaoua Foundation, to making cinema and improvisational theater an essential component of the school program and a lever for learning and personal development for the student. This initiative is part of a large program deployed by the authorities and civil society actors to integrate the arts into pioneering colleges in all regions of the Kingdom.

Thus, from the current school year, students from 138 middle schools benefit from 28 cinema screenings, or two hours per week, according to their choice. In addition, schoolchildren from 124 colleges benefit from improvisation theater sessions, supervised by teachers specially trained for this discipline by the foundation. These teachers were also provided with a detailed annual program and a practical guide for each session, integrating screening times, debates and exercises.

In detail, the first 24 sessions are entirely devoted to the screening of the films in the program, technical analysis and examination of the themes covered, explains Sophia Akhmisse, executive director of the Ali Zaoua Foundation, stressing that the remaining sessions are focused on screenwriting, shooting and editing, with a technical guide, helping students to produce a short film at the end of the course. Which will then be presented as part of a national competition. An exercise designed to allow schoolchildren to decipher visual language and develop their critical thinking, tells us Saïd El Mazouari, film critic participating in the implementation of this project. In addition, the practical work around the films offered is intended to allow schoolchildren to discover careers in cinema and theater, with a view to combating school dropouts, as Sophia Akhmisse points out.

For their part, the students have guides equivalent to exercise books, containing all the exercises carried out in class. This allows them to keep track of their learning and do exercises spontaneously at home. They also have assessment sheets to self-assess their skills and progress.

As part of the deployment of this project, a heated controversy arose concerning the nature of the films shown to schoolchildren. These films have been deemed unsuitable for children and accused of promoting controversial or age-inappropriate themes. An accusation firmly denied by the Ali Zaoua Foundation team. Wijdane Bekkare, senior project manager at the Foundation, stressed that the catalog of Moroccan and international films offered to middle school students had been developed on the basis of recommendations from experts in the artistic world, then validated by the Ministry of National Education. These same works have been shown on television and mark the national artistic scene for the originality of their themes, reassures Bekkare.

Improvisational theater sessions offer a creative space where participants explore and develop their skills through dynamic and interactive activities. Guided by a facilitator, the sessions are based on specific exercises and use suitable accessories to stimulate the imagination and reinforce learning, according to the objectives: bodily expression, non-verbal communication, management of emotions or even work on creativity and active listening.

Over the weeks, participants practice improvising solo or in groups, build characters and tackle various themes. This progression culminates in improvisation matches, mixing friendly competition and collaboration, offering participants the opportunity to put into practice everything they have learned in a stimulating and fun setting.

Although this artistic and educational project has enormous potential, it faces several obstacles which complicate its implementation in certain educational establishments. In many establishments, including in the urban world, the lack of suitable equipment, particularly an internet connection, remains a significant obstacle. For example, film screening, which is a key part of this program, requires quality projectors, screens and sometimes audio systems. However, some establishments still do not have this basic equipment, which makes it impossible to organize a cinema screening in good conditions.

The reluctance of parents and certain teachers constitutes another major obstacle to the deployment of this project in certain colleges. For some parents, the introduction of such activities into the school curriculum is seen as a distraction, potentially drawing attention away from academic subjects deemed more “serious” or essential for their children’s future success.

In addition, some teachers, although invested in their educational mission, may hesitate to integrate these new activities, due to the lack of resources necessary to implement them effectively. Hence the importance of encouraging them to adopt this educational approach by offering them appropriate incentive measures.