The Pioneer Schools program constitutes an essential reform for the rebirth of the education system. The results obtained demonstrate the effectiveness of this initiative. This is a convincing experience which deserves to be extended on a national scale, said Monday Mohamed Saad Berrada, Minister of National Education, Preschool and Sports.
Interacting with deputies during the weekly oral questions session held this Monday, January 13, 2025 at the House of Representatives, Berrada explained that the Pioneer Schools program represents a decisive reform for the revitalization of the education system.
« Why choose these pioneering schools? A CSEFRS study reveals a worrying observation: primary school students struggle to master the basics of mathematics, Arabic, and French, thus constituting a major obstacle to their progress. Indeed, if a third manages to excel in these disciplines, two thirds encounter serious difficulties“, he clarified.
And to continue: “ When these students reach secondary school, the imbalance persists, and only 10% manage to master these subjects. Aware of this problem, the Pioneer Schools program was created, focusing specifically on the teaching of three essential subjects: Arabic, French and mathematics.« .
According to the minister, this new educational model is based on an innovative approach of personalized teaching over six weeks, adapted to the real needs of each child. From the start of the year, a diagnostic assessment is carried out by the teacher to group students by homogeneous level, thus ensuring tailor-made learning. This method has proven its effectiveness by producing encouraging results.
In addition, each teacher now has a computer, equipped with projectors and PowerPoint, significantly facilitating the learning experience, said the official, affirming that this modernization of teaching is accompanied by standardized training for teachers, guaranteeing a homogeneous quality of teaching, whether in Dakhla or Tangier.
« Academic performance is subject to rigorous assessment before and after each six-week session. Nationally, every six weeks, an assessment comparable to a baccalaureate is carried out, and the results are integrated into the Massar platform. This makes it possible to measure and compare performance across educational institutions and regions, providing targeted educational adjustments.“added Berrada.
He thus indicated that the past year saw the application of this project to 600 schools, thus affecting 300,000 students. The results demonstrate the advantage of these schools, he noted, revealing that out of 100 questions, students from these schools answered 60 correctly, compared to 40 for those from traditional schools. This represents a 50% improvement in less than six months, a resounding and significant success for education.
The manager mentioned the study carried out by UM6P and MIT to assess the impact of this reform, revealing that a “ low impact equals 0.2%, median impact 0.3%, while excellent impact reaches 0.4%, and Morocco reached 0.9%. These figures clearly show the growing effectiveness of this innovative educational initiative« .
For Berrada, it is undeniable that this experiment was a great success, but the question of generalization remains crucial. “ Will we be able to maintain this level of performance after launching the program in 2,000 schools this year, reaching 1.3 million children?“, he asked himself. At the end of October, the results obtained exceeded initial expectations, which were modest. These data were validated by the study in question using a sample of 270 schools, making it possible to compare the effectiveness of traditional establishments with pioneering schools.
On the other hand, the debate on educational reform is no longer on the agenda, according to the minister who specifies that the real question now lies in the methods of implementation and the capacity to generalize this success requiring considerable effort.
« Furthermore, this year we launched an initiative at the secondary level, involving 230 middle schools, affecting 200,000 students. This new experience promises to be more complex than that of primary school. Because we now have to manage the teaching of additional subjects such as geography, physics and chemistry, which require a careful methodological approach“, he highlighted.
And to add: “ We are currently considering the most effective strategies to guarantee similar results in these disciplines, with a learning objective set at 60%. This approach aims in particular to reduce the school dropout rate. Indeed, in secondary education, 160,000 students leave college prematurely in Morocco, and it is imperative to reduce this figure by at least 50%. By doing this, we could reduce the number of school leavers to 80,000, with the hope of not letting any students end up on the street. It is essential that each child acquires knowledge, and that everyone can, at the end of their training, have professional skills« .
