Minister of Education Fires Another Salvo in the English Debate

At a study day organised by the Faculty of Science and Technology in Settat, the Minister for Higher Education for Scientific Research and Training, Lahcen Daoudi, said that any student who does not study English was "digging their own grave"

Students are "digging their own grave"

English is the language of science, of aviation, computers, diplomacy, and tourism. And most Moroccan acknowledge that English increases the chances of getting a good job. Yet, despite an ongoing debate, students appear reluctant to take up the challenge.

Lahcen Daoudi, who has been a longtime advocate for importance of English, said he was unsatisfied with the lack of interest among students in studying this language. He admitted his “call has not yet had its effect.”

The minister also stressed the need to promote and modernise the Moroccan universities, calling on the regional councils to play a role. Concerning higher education fees, Daoudi said that the wealthy should pay for their studies, because not doing so is “unjust and does not serve social justice in Morocco”.

Back in 2014, Lahcen Daoudi came out strongly in favour of adopting English in the education system. “students who want to have access to science departments at Moroccan universities must be proficient in English,’’ Daoudi said and declared that the ministry’s policy of adopting the French Baccalaureate in the country was “a dubious solution”, to Morocco’s ailing education system, explaining that “French is no longer useful”.

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El Baraka Angels - Making a Difference

Moroccans are renowned for their generosity of spirit and nothing exemplifies it more than an organisation called El Baraka Angels

Since its creation in 2003 El Baraka Angels has provided assistance to more than 8000 families with seven food distribution caravans, two medical caravans , school renovations, circumcision campaigns, summer camps and programmes of cultural and artistic activities.

This year is the third consecutive year, El Baraka Angels have organise special winter caravans to support rural populations living in isolated mountain areas. This year they have broadened its reach to include the Province of Azilal following an early and unseasonal plunge in temperatures.

This week twenty-five members El Baraka Angels began their eighth food distribution caravan in the mountainous villages of the Province of Azilal, with a load of almost 40 tons of gifts and winter necessities.

The inhabitants of the rural town of Zaouiat Ahensal,  one of the poorest areas and most isolated of the province, will welcome this caravan which will allow 750 families to receive packages to tide them over the extreme cold period until the milder weather returns.

The packages include 42 kg of basic food and non-perishables, blankets and warm clothing for adults and children.

"In towns in the rural areas, the mobilisation of civil society in times of extreme cold is essential. For us, besides being an important support for these families, these caravans allow us to study the field and identify new enclaves for our projects supporting education, school renovation, medical caravans and very soon also income generation, projects" - Selwa Zine, President of the El Baraka Angels Association.

In 2016 the association is preparing for a renovation project that will improve fifteen schools in mountainous rural areas. It has already completed six school renovations and another is underway in the rural commune of Dayet Aoua.

After completing the first trip this week, members and volunteers of El Baraka Angels will take a second caravan in less than a fortnight, this time towards the Ifrane Province for the benefit of another 750 other families located there that they have been assisting for the past three years. The association intends to conduct sustainable and lasting support actions for the populations in the hundreds of mountain villages that make up the province.

The High Atlas and Middle Atlas regions have been the scene of tragedies in the past caused by the extreme cold.  In 2006 reports described the death of over thirty people including eight children.  At the time the deaths angered local inhabitants who began a march to raise awareness of  the living conditions in these villages.  The following year there were reports of the deaths of thirty people including four women and twenty-six babies.

A child in Anfgou

In December 2012, social networks, national and international media focused on the death of an infant in Anfgou, a landlocked village in the Middle Atlas, where temperatures dropped to -16 Celsius.

Following the death in Anfgou there was a national reaction with in-kind donations valued at more than more 600 000 Dirhams (60,000 USD) collected and then sent to the region.

To support the actions of the El Baraka Association you can make a donation by cheque or bank transfer:
Account name: El Baraka Angels
Account Number: 007 810 24 0001055000000210
Swift Code International BCMAMAMC
Agency Attijari Wafabank, Avenu de France, Rabat

"Death will always have to keep you company, ease your suffering by collecting the souls exhausted by time and winds of winter..." -  Hassan Oumada

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A Majority of Moroccans Want English as Second Language

For months the debate about  linguistic identity has raged in Morocco. The tussle is between French, the English, with clear lines between those who favour retaining what they describe as the "language of history and the protectorate" and English, the language of "science and civilisation" 

The politicians have been vocal in the debate with Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane, expressing his desire to give English prime importance in the educational system and to become the second language after the Arabic.  The Minister of Higher Education, Lahcen Daoudi, has repeatedly stressed of English in the scientific disciplines, saying "We are obliged to gain proficiency in English" .

According to a recent poll by the Hespress newspaper, the overwhelming majority of voters want English over French in Morocco's educational system in Morocco.

The results of the poll of  41,526  people saw the support rate for English at 85.98 with only 14.02 percent of respondents wanting to keep French.

Dr Abdel Kader Fassi Fihri

International expert in the field of  linguistics, Dr Abdel Kader Fassi Fihri, says the result was"good news", because it reflects the awareness of Moroccan citizens in regard to the choice of foreign language, and the language of education in particular.

Fassi Fihri stressed that English, "being the universal language, is the language of trading and if you want to reach out to the world or want to move between one region and another, even in the Arab countries or  China, you need English. "

He also pointed out that English is the global language of science and scientific journals internationally are all indexed in English.

Dr Abdel Kader Fassi Fihri noted that "English has become the first language in Europe.  For example, in Spain, Germany, Portugal, and France the first other language is English," adding that he "You only find  French as the first foreign language in some African countries, which were a colony of France and Belgium."

According to Morocco World News, Moroccans have become more outspoken about the importance of switching the country’s education system from French to English. For the majority of them, as it is the case with the sample surveyed by Arabic-speaking news website Hespress, French is limiting their access to knowledge and economic opportunities. Even Moroccan officials have expressed on numerous occasions the importance of adopting English over French within the Moroccan educational system. For the head of government Abdelilah Benkirane, for instance, English is the language of today’s science, technology and commerce.

However, there are still people in Morocco who fiercely lobby for French to be kept the first foreign language of the country. Their efforts have yielded results as the Supreme Council for Education, Training and Scientific Research is said to be reconsidering earlier recommendations to replace French with English in the Moroccan curriculum. The new recommendations, if adopted, will be included in the Supreme Council’s Strategic Report to be submitted to King Mohammed VI.

The council headed by Omar Azziman, an advisor to King Mohammed VI, is said to have ordered the formation of a sub-committee to review the proposal of replacing French with English, a proposal already hailed by many members of the Council’s Permanent Committee on Curriculum, Programs, Training and Teaching tools in earlier sessions.

As one school teacher in Fez summed up, "The longer we take to make the switch to English, the longer we limit Morocco's possibilities."

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Help Fill a School Bag - Charity Concert in Fez

You are invited to a concert with a purpose this Sunday, September 13. Donations of school supplies are sought for girls from the Center for Protection for Girls in Fez - many of whom will be attending school for the first time this year

Donations are needed in the form of new school supplies to fill around 24 school bags. Your donation will grant you entrance to the concert.

Ali Gala, from the ALC-ALIF Community Service Club, which is organising the drive for the school supplies, says, "We mainly need  pens (red, blue, black + green), pencils, coloured pencils, erasers, sharpeners, scissors, rulers, copybooks, and pencil cases."

Former resident of the Center for Protection of Girls, Hadja Tahini, says, "This is the first time many of the girls from the Center will be going to school, and there is only enough money to pay for them to attend - not for the things they will need. These girls have so little, compared to most people, and having new school supplies will mean a lot to them. Their education, and how they get on at school, is very important. The girls will need to leave the Center at 18 years old, and they won't be able to do much in future without an education."

If you aren't able to attend the concert, but would still like to donate, please see Ali Gala at the ALC Computer Lab. If you call him, he will be able to tell you what is most needed.

The Concert for School Supplies is on at Sunday, September 13 at 17.00 at the ALIF Riad. Your donation will grant you entrance.

To donate to the drive for school supplies, contact Ali Gala from the American Language Center and Arabic Language Institute on 0667741520.

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New Initiative for the Fez Environment

UPDATE: Fez Environment Club first meeting on November 1 at 5 PM

The ALIF-ALC Environment Club will have its first meeting on Saturday, November 1 at 5 PM at ALIF Riad in the Fez Medina.

The Club is the brainchild of photographer Omar Chennafi, who wants to bring awareness to local and global environmental issues and reinforce community appreciation of the environment. "People need to take more responsibility for their environment," he says. "The Fez Medina is a mediaeval city; it's not like a new city, it has different needs. It used to be more of a self-managing system, and now that has broken down."

Meeting twice a month, the Club will operate on a project-by-project basis. It's hosted by the American Language Center, but is open to anyone interested in participating.

"The first meeting will be a good chance for newcomers to get to know the ALIF-ALC Environment Club - our vision, goals and to talk about future projects," says Omar.

Some ideas for possible activities include showing environmental films, collaborating with schools to create things like murals with a "green" theme, gardens and composting; environmentally focussed field trips; conducting waste audits and initiating recycling blitzes.

When: Saturday October 18 at 5 PM
Where: ALIF Riad,
Info: Omar Chennafi on 0659661502
Email: fezenvironmentalclub@gmail.com
www.alcfezbook.com

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