Morocco/INDH in Laâyoune: School transport, an essential tool for promoting schooling in rural areas

School transport is an essential tool in the efforts made by the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) in the province of Laâyoune to promote schooling in rural areas.

In fact, school transport in rural areas makes an important contribution to combating school wastage, facilitating access to schools for learners, making travel easier and improving schooling conditions for pupils.

School transport also helps to encourage the enrolment of rural girls, all the more so as it contributes to reducing the expenses that households are forced to bear to enable their children to pursue their studies in good conditions.

In this vein, INDH is paying particular attention to the development of school transport in the province of Laâyoune, as part of its 4th program on "boosting the human capital of up-and-coming generations".Several actions have been carried out in recent years to combat school wastage and promote access to education.

A tour by a MAP team of the localities surrounding the Foum El Oued commune (20 km from Laâyoune), enabled them to see at first hand the major role played by school transport in promoting student enrolment, particularly among rural girls.It also plays an undeniable role in the fight against school dropouts, providing more than a hundred beneficiaries with the conditions they need to learn.

Mohamed Abdou Rabihi, Head of the Social Action Division (DAS) of the Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra wilaya, took the opportunity to emphasize that school transport has contributed to the promotion of school attendance and the fight against school wastage in rural areas, facilitating access to schools that are often a long way from their homes.

In 2022 and 2023, two minibuses dedicated to school transport were acquired for a total amount of 700.000 dirhams, providing daily transport for some 131 pupils from the commune of Foum El Oued, he continued, noting that these two vehicles had been handed over to the association in charge of managing school transport in this commune.

He also announced that pupils from the fishermen's village of Tarouma, 50 km from Laâyoune, also benefited from school transport to the town of Foum El Oued.school transport to "Dar Talib and Taliba in Laâyoune" at the beginning and end of each week.

For his part, Mr. Mohamed Chtouki, president of the association in charge of managing school transport in Foum El Oued, emphasized that INDH, the Foum El Oued municipality and other partners are constantly mobilizing to effectively combat school dropout in rural areas.school dropout rates in rural areas, by guaranteeing the transport of secondary school pupils to their respective schools in the center of Foum El Oued and in Al Marssa.

M. Chtouki, who has been managing school transport in Foum El Oued since 2014, pointed out that this service is provided free of charge for the benefit of the pupils, to enable them to complete their schooling.to enable them to pursue their studies in the best possible conditions and avoid the need for families and guardians to travel to the city of Laâyoune.

School transport in the Foum El Oued commune comprises five minibuses providing daily transport for pupils (mornings and afternoons), he said.cized, emphasizing the support of INDH and other partners to alleviate the difficulties associated with their travel.

Source: www.mapexpress.ma/