Saving Public Schools is Saving the Country. Noureddine Boutahar

Public education in Morocco has never been just a place to teach reading and writing; it is the collective memory and the true factory of the nation’s elites. Yet, through years of failed government policies, it has been deliberately maligned and painted as a corpse waiting to be buried—so that the gates of privatization can swing wide open. It is grossly unfair to reduce public schools to a story of failure. These very schools produced the doctors who filled our hospitals, the engineers who designed dams and roads, and the professionals who ran our institutions. They raised Morocco’s name high in international competitions. From their classrooms came the golden generation that built the foundations of an independent state, and their graduates compete in the world’s top universities. How can any government, with a straight face, deny this history and run away from these achievements?
The bitter truth is that successive governments never truly wanted to reform public education; they treated it like a guinea pig for half-baked experiments driven by partisan and electoral interests. Take the so-called “Arabization” policy: a hasty decision, only half-baked—Arabic in primary and secondary, but French still ruling higher education. The result? A deliberate exclusion of poor children, while the wealthy secured their future in private schools and foreign missions. As the proverb goes, “When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.”
And then came the notorious “Emergency Plan.” Billions were poured in, only to vanish into thin air. Nothing changed in classrooms, because planning was chaotic and decisions were made behind closed doors, far from the voices of teachers on the ground. Was this not organized chaos? Was this not a calculated demolition of the last bastion of social equality?
The latest brainchild of the government is the “Pioneer Schools” project  مدارس الريادة . The program promises to go back to basics, sharpening students’ skills in reading, writing, and arithmetic through methods like “Teaching at the Right Level” (TaRL). It also pledges ongoing teacher training, better school facilities, and stronger parental involvement.
Yet the scheme seems to have started off on the wrong foot. Just a couple of years in, teachers and parents already fear it is clipping the wings of top students merely to keep everyone on the same page. As a result, many families are flocking to private schools—a costly move at a time when household budgets are already stretched thin by soaring food prices.
Successive governments have pushed public schools to the back burner, even though they are the last line of defense for the poor against a system of privilege. Instead of protecting them, they colluded to weaken them—forcing struggling families into the arms of private education, piling debt on their shoulders. Call it what it is: a deliberate impoverishment of public education to fatten the private market.
What public schools need is not more empty talk, but political courage: to restore teachers’ dignity—long trampled underfoot—, to invest seriously in infrastructure, to modernize curricula with boldness, and to neutralize the power of the greedy lobbies that profit from failure. Otherwise, governments are not simply weakening education; they are burning the very bridges to the nation’s future. And as another proverb reminds us: “You reap what you sow.”

Secrets to Educational Triumph! Noureddine Boutahar

In my exploration of successful education systems across the globe, encompassing countries like Finland, Singapore, Germany, and Iceland, a consistent theme emerges: success isn't just a happy accident; it's the result of deliberate and strategic brilliance. These nations have artfully crafted a mosaic of practices and values, working in perfect harmony to yield extraordinary educational achievements.

A cornerstone of these successful systems is the emphasis on having high-quality educators. Teachers within these systems typically come from esteemed colleges and universities, a deliberate choice aimed at ensuring a sustained high standard of pedagogical expertise. Recognizing the pivotal role educators play, these successful systems go the extra mile to ensure fair compensation, acknowledging the significant contribution teachers make in shaping the future generation.

Moreover, these cultures place an undeniably significant value on education, recognizing it not merely as a means to personal development but as a crucial tool for broader economic advancement. This societal mindset fosters a deep-seated commitment to the pursuit of educational excellence.

In these systems, equality stands as a guiding principle, with nearly all students attending public schools, effectively minimizing the disparities that often characterize the schism between private and public education. Complementing this commitment to equality are the deliberately small class sizes, averaging around 20 students. Furthermore, up to three teachers may be present in a class, with one dedicated specifically to assisting struggling students, thereby providing personalized support.

An additional testament to the commitment to nurturing relationships is the prolonged interaction between teachers and students. Teachers often remain with the same group of students for up to five years, ensuring a sense of continuity and familiarity. This extended relationship allows teachers to intimately understand the strengths and weaknesses of each student, contributing to a more tailored and effective learning experience.

Formal education in these countries takes a departure from conventional practices by commencing at the age of seven. This intentional delay allows ample time for play and exploration during a child's formative years, recognizing the importance of holistic development beyond academic pursuits.

Another distinctive feature is the limited emphasis on testing, with formal exams deferred until the age of 16. This aligns with a pivotal juncture where students undergo assessments to guide their career or college choices. This intentional approach alleviates the pressure of testing, providing students with the freedom to develop holistically without the burden of excessive assessments.

The well-designed and balanced daily schedules in these systems, extending from 8:00 to 14:30 with a 30-minute lunch break, lay the foundation for an optimal learning environment. Firstly, they promote active involvement in extracurricular activities and the pursuit of personal interests, contributing to a more comprehensive and enriching educational experience. Secondly, by preventing students from spending the entire day at school, the schedules mitigate the risk of developing a disdain for the learning environment, preventing it from turning into a snoozy, prison-like scene that nobody wants to be in.

Streamlining education programs and curricula is a hallmark of these successful systems. By concentrating on essential subjects, knowledge, and skills while minimizing unnecessary complexities and workload for students, these systems guarantee a well-rounded and meaningful education.

Last but not least, the commitment to state support for teachers in these successful systems is palpable through various initiatives that ensure favorable working conditions. For instance, comprehensive professional development programs are offered to educators, equipping them with the latest teaching methodologies and tools. Additionally, the provision of modern classroom resources, such as interactive technology and up-to-date textbooks, exemplifies the dedication to supplying teachers with the necessary materials to facilitate effective learning environments.

In stark contrast to our education systems that commodify and devalue teachers, successful and ideal educational systems recognize the profound significance of quality educators, equal opportunities, and a holistic approach to student development. Without these key elements, our dream of a successful and nurturing educational environment for the future is just a whimsical fantasy. Without genuine reform, we will persist in passing the blame like a game of hot potato, tossing responsibility between us until the day when everything inevitably crumbles!

Character Education Needed. Noureddine Boutahar

“A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.” Too much knowledge without character is also a dangerous thing. In both cases, you get people who know their ABCs, but who are not educated.

People with little knowledge are just literate. People with too much knowledge and no character are just robot-like citizens.

Both types are poorly-educated in that they lack quality education. And quality-lacking education holds back and does not make for just, productive, and democratic societies. It produces half-judges, half-teachers, half-doctors, fake-priests, fake-muftis, fake-citizens… in brief a threat to society.

In Theodore Roosevelt’s words, “To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society”. He means that focusing only on the education of students in core curriculums such as languages, mathematics, social studies etc. without also educating them in moral value, simply indoctrinates individuals who will jeopardize and undermine societies.

In Stephen Covey’s opinion, intellectual development without character development is like “putting a high-powered sports car in the hands of a teenager who is high on drugs.” One need only look to the ever-present stories of crime and violence that fill out televisions and newspapers to find the truth of his words; lack of character education is ubiquitous, and increasingly apparent. Present-day education gives us knowledge but not respect for ethics, character and moral values.

Remember the various terrorist attacks that shook the world! Remember the 17-year old student from Ouarzazate’s (Morocco) Sidi Daoud  high school who violently beat one of his teachers! Remember the world's most notorious scandals! These and other flagrant acts are the result of a lack of character and quality education.

Mahatma Gandhi mentioned seven things that will destroy us.  “Knowledge without character” ranks among the first three. He’s right; what good is our knowledge of Physics if all we do is build bombs and arms of mass destruction? What good is our knowledge of Philosophy if all we do is remain indifferent to gross human rights?”

As Martin Luther King put it, we live in a world of “guided missiles and misguided men.” This means that even “scientific findings” could be bent to suit the political ideologies of the amoral politicians and business-people who have not yet completed their education. 

But what is character education?

Dr. Thomas Lickona defines character education as “the deliberate effort to help people understand, care about, and act upon core ethical values.” Character education, then, aims to instill in students important fundamental, ethical and performance values such as honesty, fairness, responsibility, caring, diligence, fortitude, and respect for self and others. Its objective, also, is to form and train young people in wisdom and virtue.

Bottom line; character grounds education and keeps us from becoming bad, corrupt, wicked, and cruel.  So, isn’t it time we restore character education to its rightful place at the center of the curriculum?