The Regional Academy for Education and Training Casablanca-Settat has announced the launch of a pilot program to introduce English language lessons in the sixth grade of primary schools starting next academic year. According to a memorandum, the academy will develop lesson frameworks for this limited experiment during the remainder of the current school year. The selection of participating schools will be based on established criteria.
Youssef El Omri, president of the Moroccan Association of English Language Teachers, welcomes the pilot program and urges its expansion across the country. He emphasized the benefits of early language education, noting the advantage students in private schools enjoy. English is currently taught in Moroccan public schools starting from the third year of secondary education.
According to a ministerial strategy implemented this school year, English was introduced with a capacity of 10% for the 2023-2024 school year and in the second year of secondary education. The next phase will be to increase English instruction to 50% in the first year of secondary education in 2024-2025 and to 100% in the second year. The final phase is to teach English to all students in the first year of secondary education at 100% capacity.
Also read: Ministry of Education accelerates integration of English in secondary education under pressure “Public school students deserve equal opportunities,” emphasizes El Omri, advocating for a strong foundation in English as this language becomes increasingly important. He also pointed to earlier challenges related to introducing English-language scientific subjects due to insufficient language proficiency among students. The academy refers to the emphasis placed by the Moroccan constitution on learning foreign languages for global engagement and cultural exchange. Additionally, they refer to Framework Law No. 51.17, which promotes linguistic diversity and early language acquisition to prepare students for future careers and to align with the 2022-2026 educational roadmap.
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