Mohamed Barada defends the education achievements: “We saved 400 million dirhams thanks to governance, and the solution takes time to overcome the ‘inheritance of the past.'”
Mohamed Barada, Minister of National Education, Preschool Education, and Sports, affirmed that the reform of the educational system in Morocco is moving towards establishing financial governance and operational efficiency. He revealed that the ministry has achieved a financial saving of 400 million dirhams in public contracts due to improved management mechanisms compared to previous years. This was a firm response to questions from parliamentarians regarding the transparency of contracts in his sector.
During the oral question session in the House of Representatives on Monday, Barada placed the current reform in a temporal and political context, considering that the low level of education, as confirmed by official reports, is a result of management failures that have accumulated over past government terms. The minister cited the High Council of Education and Training’s 2019 report, which highlighted a deficit among primary school students in the fundamentals of reading and writing. He emphasized that addressing these shortcomings requires both financial effort and a long time frame that extends beyond one or two years.
The government official pointed out that the education budget has seen a historic increase under the current administration, rising from 58 billion dirhams to 97 billion dirhams, with 80 percent directed towards improving teachers’ salaries and supporting infrastructure. He also highlighted the success of the “Leadership Colleges” model, which has managed to reduce dropout rates by 50 percent, allowing 14,000 students to continue their academic journey thanks to support mechanisms, vigilance, and extracurricular activities.
Regarding rural areas, Barada stressed that “community schools” represent a future option, asserting that school transportation and the road network are the primary arteries for the success of this educational model. This is a shared responsibility between the ministry and local authorities. As for preschool education, the minister defended the management flexibility through associations, noting that improving the situation of 50,000 educators is a positive achievement managed within the available budget balances.
Barada concluded his presentation by emphasizing that combating school dropout and providing quality education for all is an open strategic project that relies on innovation in educational models and strict governance of financial resources to ensure that the impact of the reform reaches the classroom and the student.
