“Morocco has made considerable progress in recent years in terms of girls’ schooling, especially in rural areas,” said Arouhal, deputy of the Progress and Socialism Party (PPS), during a workshop held on the sidelines of the second ordinary session of the sixth PAP legislature, dedicated to the launching of the “AfricaEducatesHer” campaign, aimed at improving girls’ learning conditions in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.
He underlined that the Kingdom has embarked on a policy of creating Student Houses (Dar Taliba) to enable girls in rural areas to continue their studies, as well as the distribution of scholarships to disadvantaged families under the “Tayssir” program to combat school dropout.
During the COVID-19 crisis, he continued, the Moroccan authorities decided to implement distance learning courses using available digital platforms to ensure continuity of learning while avoiding the spread of the virus.
As for the children of immigrants and refugees residing in Morocco, Arouhal affirmed that the integration strategy launched by the Moroccan authorities has enabled 86% of children to join the school system, mostly girls.
In addition, the deputy recalled that Morocco has implemented programs to combat illiteracy and vocational training, in order to strengthen the skills of girls and enable them to improve their socio-economic conditions.
Referring to figures from the High Commission for Planning (HCP), Arouhal underlined that the schooling rate for girls aged 6 to 11 reached 100% in 2020, compared to 80.6% in 2000, while for the 15 to 17 age group, this rate reached 90.5%.
The AfricaEducatesHer campaign is a response to the COVID-19 related education crisis launched in 2020 to mobilize stakeholders to take the necessary action to ensure the right of girls and young women to education.