Morocco/School year 2023/2024: Implementation of the "Pioneer Schools" project in public primary schools

The Ministry of National Education, Preschool and Sports has announced the deployment, for the start of the 2023/2024 school year, of the "Pioneer Schools" project in public primary schools, with the aim of improving the quality of basic learning, reducing school wastage and the development of pupils.

This project is part of the deployment of the Roadmap 2022-2026 for a quality school for all, and with a view to improving the basic learning of students by adopting new methods and effective teaching approaches. It aims to lay the foundations of the public school of the future based on a participatory approach that meets the expectations of students, their parents and educational managers, said the ministry Tuesday in a statement.

The "Pioneer Schools" model involves a comprehensive transformation of school performance based on the voluntary commitment of the teaching team and the provision of a comprehensive education system.The "Pioneer Schools" model involves a global transformation of the performance of schools based on the voluntary commitment of the teaching staff and the provision of educational, digital and material resources to help students succeed. A system of certification training and local support is in place to help teachers adopt effective classroom practices whose impact has been demonstrated by scientific research. Improvements in student learning will be measured and monitored regularly through objective assessments.

Thus, the deployment of this project will be carried out, in a start-up phase, at the level of 628 public elementary school, in urban, semi-urban and rural areas, with a number of beneficiaries up to 322.The number of beneficiaries reached 322,000 students, the voluntary participation and mobilization of 10,700 teachers, and the use of 158 educational inspectors for supervision and support in the implementation. The extension of the project to the majority of public primary schools will be done gradually at a rate of 2,000 per year, as part of the implementation of the Roadmap 2022-2026.

The "Pioneer Schools" model has been designed according to a multidimensional approach covering the three axes of the Roadmap 2022-2026, namely: the student, the teacher, and the school, we stress.

The educational teams involved in this process will implement four key components, namely, a massive remediation program aimed at correcting students' fundamental deficiencies in reading and numeracy. The implementation of this component is based on the TaRL (Teaching at the right level) method, whose positive impact has been established in an experimental project. All students will be able to benefit from remediation on a daily and intensive basis during the month of September and on a weekly basis throughout the year for students in difficulty. The ambition is to eventually eradicate the major learning difficulties that currently affect more than half of the learners.

It also involves the implementation of effective teaching methods in the classroom whose positive effects on learning have been proven by scientific research. These methods are based on the principle of progressive learning: "we move on to the next stage of the lesson only after checking the understanding of all students," notes the same source. This so-called "preventive" approach helps to avoid the accumulation of new gaps. To implement these methods, teachers will benefit from resources and teaching aids that will facilitate teaching activities, comprehensive training, as well as regular support in the classroom.

Similarly, the third component relates to the specialization of teachers in the disciplines that best correspond to their training and skills. The implementation of the specialization system is optional and is the choice of the teaching team according to the specific characteristics of each institution.

Finally, the management of the school will be discussed, particularly the material conditions (state of the classrooms and sanitary facilities, security, hygiene, quality of equipment, etc.).Finally, the management of the school will be discussed, including material conditions (the state of the classrooms and sanitary facilities, security, hygiene, the quality of equipment, the availability of teaching materials), the implementation of the school's project, relations with families, etc.

The implementation of these four components will enable the schools concerned to obtain the "Pioneer School" label, which gives the school a special status.The implementation of these four components will enable the schools concerned to obtain the "Pioneer School" label, which gives the right to material incentives for the members of the teaching team, and an individual allowance of 10.000 dirhams net per year, in accordance with the agreement signed on January 14, 2023 between the Ministry and social partners, concludes the statement.

Source: www.mapexpress.ma/