Mohammed Saad Berrada, the Minister of National Education, Preschool Education, and Sports, announced a comprehensive plan to combat school dropouts, with one of its main focuses being the provision of school transportation for students in remote areas. He emphasized that the ministry will allocate substantial resources to ensure students can reach their schools, especially those whose travel time exceeds half an hour.
During a presentation before the Education, Culture, and Communication Committee at the House of Representatives on Tuesday regarding the 2025-2026 school year, Berrada explained that this initiative will also be supported by expanding the network of boarding schools and student houses to ensure that boys and girls remain close to their educational institutions. He noted that efforts in this area are being coordinated with the Ministry of the Interior and regional councils.
The minister confirmed that Second Chance Schools will play a pivotal role in this plan, indicating that the number of beneficiaries will increase from 22,000 to 35,000 children, with a financial support of 6,000 dirhams allocated for each child to facilitate their care and reintegration into their educational paths for one or two years.
He added that despite their low academic levels, these students will benefit from vocational training enabling them to acquire skills that ensure them an income and a future career path, in addition to receiving a recognized vocational certificate from vocational training institutions.
Berrada explained that beneficiaries of Second Chance Schools will have the option to either complete their educational journey or enter the job market through the skills they have acquired, highlighting that the goal is to reduce school dropout rates in the middle school level by 50%, while finding solutions for the remaining cases through vocational training or educational integration programs.
The minister warned of the worsening phenomenon of youth who are not in education, employment, or training, pointing out that Morocco currently has around 1.5 million young people in the “NEET” category. He emphasized that if the situation continues, there will be an annual increase of between 200,000 to 300,000 new young people within this category.
He stated, “We may handle the situation of 100,000 to 200,000 young people annually, but if the growth continues at this pace, we will not be able to curb the phenomenon. Therefore, there is a consensus on the need to control school dropouts, especially at the middle and primary levels.”
Berrada also highlighted that the absence of sanitary facilities within some educational institutions remains a major reason for girls dropping out of school, stating that “many families refuse to allow their daughters to continue studying upon reaching a certain age due to the lack of these facilities.” He deemed addressing this seemingly simple issue as “necessary and urgent to avoid losing more female students.”
