The Prime Minister, Aziz Akhannouch, reported that the cost of implementing the Leadership Schools program in primary schools over one year reached 25,000 dirhams (250,000 centimes) and 30,000 dirhams (300,000 centimes) for junior high schools. He noted that the government successfully established 189 primary schools, 129 of which are located in rural areas.
Akhannouch added during the monthly question-and-answer session dedicated to education reform that, based on the initial experience with Leadership Junior High Schools, which included 230 institutions—representing 10 percent of the total—efforts were focused on reducing dropout rates, enhancing learning opportunities, and strengthening students’ capacities. He emphasized that this program relies on the essential execution of the school project, the integration of digital equipment in classrooms, the support of students’ personal citizenship, and encouragement of explicit teaching methods alongside participation in extracurricular activities.
Regarding the cost of implementing the Leadership Schools program, the Prime Minister clarified that the average expenditure for primary schools outside the wage budget amounted to 25,000 dirhams per classroom and 30,000 dirhams in junior high education for one academic year. He mentioned that annual operational costs are estimated at 8,000 dirhams per classroom in primary education and 12,000 dirhams in junior high.
Akhannouch recorded that “the development of public schools is contingent upon enhancing the educational infrastructure; hence, the government is committed to advancing the digital system in schools.” He pointed out that “to expand educational offerings, the ministry worked this academic year to establish a total of 189 primary schools, including 129 in rural areas.”
He further indicated that community schools in rural areas were expanded due to their vital role in reducing dropout rates. He noted that government intervention aimed to reach a total of 335 institutions by 2025, targeting 90,000 students, while emphasizing the provision of modern digital infrastructure to ensure equitable access for all stakeholders and contribute to the enhancement of their digital skills.
The Prime Minister explained that the ministry equipped over 30,000 classrooms this year with the necessary technological, pedagogical, and material resources for the success of the Leadership Schools experience, praising the engagement of educational stakeholders in Morocco in realizing this significant project, with more than 44,000 teachers and voluntary participation from 560 educational inspectors and over 2,626 principals within the leadership schools.
In this context, Akhannouch stated that the government has a new vision for training and continuous education, beginning with ongoing support for educational staff in classrooms and regular assessment of learning levels. He noted that evaluations conducted by official institutions demonstrate the importance and value of training programs for teachers in improving educational practices based on the TARL approach and explicit instruction in both urban and rural settings.
The same source detailed that the ministry initiated training programs in explicit teaching for primary school teachers in Leadership Schools, encompassing necessary competencies and various teaching methodologies. He emphasized that “this approach will enable mastery of basic learning skills and their improvement, aligning with the TARL framework and thereby targeting all those involved in educational instruction.”
Regarding the follow-up of this initiative, Akhannouch reported the establishment of support mechanisms involving over 200 coordinators covering all regional directorates, emphasizing that all these coordinators are being trained to create closer mechanisms and find solutions to various issues within educational environments.
The minister stated that this mechanism aims to achieve three objectives: supporting the engagement of leadership institutions and preparing them for the upcoming school year in terms of equipment, infrastructure, and necessary training.
On the second goal, the Prime Minister referenced the support for leadership institutions in implementing the strategic objectives of the roadmap and providing assistance to institution directors facing challenges alongside their administrative and educational teams, also within leadership junior high schools.
The same political leader pointed out that in light of these positive figures, and with the government’s awareness of the significant challenges facing junior high education, particularly the issue of school dropout, the project for leadership junior high schools was launched, marking the beginning of implementing this program in secondary educational institutions as part of achieving a qualitative transformation in the performance of the relevant educational institutions.
