The Amazigh World Assembly denounces the systematic exclusion of teaching the Amazigh language within the new road map 2022-2026 of the Ministry of National Education
The President of the Amazigh World Assembly, Rachid Rakha, contacted Mr.
François Raibet Dekat, the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Morocco,
on the topic: Why is the failure of the new road map 2022-2026 of the Minister of National Education regarding primary education in Morocco inevitable? This correspondence coincided with the occasion of International Children's Day, and it is a message to draw attention The organization's attention to the great importance it attaches to the mother tongue in the elementary and primary education stages in the face of the Moroccan minister's exclusion of the Amazigh language.
Within the framework of the United Nations declaration in Morocco welcoming the translation of Morocco's ambitious commitments into the formulation of the new road map 2022-2026 in accordance with the path of development that is firmly committed to transforming and directing Moroccan schools towards enhancing human capital, Al-Rakhah confirms that unfortunately human capital is not taken into account by the Minister Moroccan National Education, to whom he had previously sent a letter dated October 5, assuring him that his reform of educational policy (including the new road map 2022-2026) is undoubtedly doomed to failure, and the same applies to the “development model,” given the continuity of this ministry. In excluding the Amazigh language, although it has become official since 2011, from the primary education stage, and limiting it to less than 10% for the primary level, despite its integration in the field of education since 2008, meaning that it has accumulated 19 years of experience in public school, and it is assumed that You have reached 100%...
And he added in his message that the Ministry of Chakib Benmoussa announced in a press conference alarming numbers related to the educational level of students, during the presentation of the new road map for the aforementioned reform of the educational system 2022-2026, as it revealed that about 77% of primary school students are unable to read an Arabic text consisting of 80 word and that 70% cannot read a paragraph in French consisting of 15 words, while the pupils of the BMCE Education and Environment Network are almost 100% able to read and write in these two languages perfectly, in addition to mastering the Amazigh language, which is something that The Minister verified it personally on January 21, 2022, during his visit to Com Medersat School.com in Bouskoura, Casablanca, where he praised the distinction of this network from other institutions with the importance it gave to teaching languages, especially the Amazigh language, noting that this school is not located in an Amazigh-speaking area, in which the Amazigh language is taught from the stage of primary education to the sixth grade of primary school. Amazigh is taught as a spoken and written language, and at the same time these students master the Arabic language and the French language, and the minister himself confirmed that it is a very important experience and model for the education system in Morocco, and Al-Rakhah added, former US President Bill Clinton was inspired by this experience and applied that to his schools in Africa, This experience has won one of the best awards in the world, the World Innovation Summit for Education award in 2013, which was selected from 500 projects.
Here the Rakha wonders about the reason for this dazzling success? Some of them review, “The success of the Koum School network affiliated with the Foundation is due to the fact that it respects the mother tongue, and has integrated it into the school curricula, in accordance with UNESCO recommendations since 1962, in return for the current minister continuing to adhere to an ideology imported from the Middle East, which is “Salafist Arab nationalism,” which prevents him from Realizing the vital importance of the mother tongue, and its adoption in primary and primary education, the Dean of the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture, Ahmed Bokus, added:
1- The mother tongue achieves a link between the family environment and the school environment.
2- The mother tongue guarantees the conditions for the success of the child's access to a new social world.
3- The mother tongue facilitates the acquisition of learning strategies and the acquisition of reading and writing skills in a more effective way than the student receiving his lessons in a second or foreign language.
4- The mother tongue is the natural engine of people's thought and expression. Its use in education and literacy strengthens communication with the sources of their culture.
5- Teaching in the mother tongue provides smoothness and flexibility in the process of transition between the family cultural reference and the cultural and social reference taught by the educational institution... Rakha adds that Bochos mentioned a very important issue according to UNESCO experts, educational scholars and child psychologists, the mother tongue has solid psychological and educational foundations , because it: “plays a decisive role in his cognitive development, in his psycho-emotional relationship with his environment, in receiving his education and in the process of understanding the world.”
Al-Rakha regretfully expressed that Minister Benmoussa does not accept the advice of expert Alain Bentolella, who confirmed during his speech at the inaugural conference of ministers of states and governments of the Francophonie on 11/15/2019, through which he emphasized that education systems in some countries are very expensive, and have become machines for producing illiteracy and school failure because they are Unable (or unwilling) to choose the language, they lead the pupils to cruel failures because the school welcomed them in a language their mothers did not teach them, and for a child this is an intolerable violence, and the choice of education systems for their mother tongue gives them an opportunity to reach the mastery of reading and writing and build ambitious learning of official languages.” The World Bank has now stated that teaching children the language they speak at home is essential to eradicating learning poverty.
Al-Rakhah added that the World Conference on Child Care and Education held in Uzbekistan affirmed the right of every child to receive quality education and care from birth, and urged Member States to increase their commitment and investments to ensure that all girls, women and boys have access to quality development, protection and primary education that they need. It prepares them to enter primary education. This can only happen effectively if the mother tongue is integrated.
He concluded his letter with a request addressed to Mr. François, which is to urge the Moroccan minister to be pragmatic, to walk in the right direction and to advise him to initiate a proactive policy against this racial discrimination against the official, national and mother tongue, which is the Amazigh language, including the reform of the new road map 2022-2026 To give satisfactory results, through the urgent generalization of the teaching of the Amazigh language at the stage of preliminary education and the primary level.
Source: websites