My Version of the Solution

Undoubtedly,when it comes to complicated matters such as education,there is more than one version to the solution.Indeed,one size-fits-all approach to education emanates from a monopoly of truth mindset.If we are to grab the wave of change and ride it ,we will need a clarity of vision and a bluntness of discourse.As a matter of fact,one cannot bring change to the forefront if we continue to call a cat a rat.Moreover,the structural nature of the problem necessitates the complete involvement of all stakeholders.Unless we put an end to this collective denial attitude in Morocco,we will never burst outside the complacence box.In fact,the high altitude question is: do we have the will and courage to venture out of this box or stay snug in it forever?.Provided we have what it takes to change,here is my version of the solution.

Mop up the Damage:

Albert Enstein said "We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them".We need to agree from the outset that a solution to the problem of education in Morocco will not take place overnight.An investment of time is absolutely necessary to mop up the damage.Equally important,is the need for wisdom in the management of the crisis and a sense of urgency required in such a transitional period.

First and foremost, we have to admit that education has been subjected to a serious damage.Various stakeholders need to stop the exchange of accusations and scapegoat seeking.The major players in the field of education ought to assume responssibility of the current situation and tackle the challenges ahead of them.There are some strictly immediate remedies that must be adopted without further bureacratic delay or photo-taking procedures.These draconian changes have to be implemented at one draw and without reluctance.As Jack Welsh puts it" If your change is not big enough,the bureaucracy can beat you".In fact,gradual change is of no significance in the face of a fast anti-change machine.Therefore,speed is of utmost importance in the implementation of the following:

• Force major bureacrats to step down and leave their decision-making positions to qualified patriotic citizens who have the competence,will and passion to introduce change.
• Reconsider the teachers and headmasters recruitment criteria.
• Stop appointing teachers in remote areas.
• Define a clear transparent administrative procedure allowing teachers to move from one city to another.
• Stop the current irrational scoring system allowing students to move to higher levels without getting an average mark.
• Allow staff wishing to take early retirement to leave because retaining teachers against their will is counterproductive .Students are the only ones to bear the brunt.

As you may have noticed,the above suggestions do not entail any budgetary concerns.They are all a matter of political will.

A Financial Pain for an Educational Gain

The government's obnoxious alibi of financial imperatives to justify the current complacent attitude is no longer in the main.Should we move ahead to solve the problem of education in Morocco ,we ought to let go the expensive unwise policies that cost the nation something more valuable than money,time.We need to disenthral ourselves from the blame-throwing culture and start to think anew and act anew.The nation's time is more important than its money.So let us not squander it hesitating,making nonsense incremental speeches and taking photos.It should be crystal clear to all of us as citizens that without a sheer heavy investment,no change will take place.

Needless to say that we inherited a Neanderthal culture dating back to sick time policies of complaint about the increasing expenditure of education.Instead of wasting time crying over spoilt milk,let us think of alternative ways of financing education.I suggest that the government deducts10% from the salaries of all public and private sectors employees for a period of three years.Let us call this "The Patriotic Act for Education".Of course,there are experts on fundraising who are more qualified to suggest more creative solutions to remedy the disastrous situation of education in Morocco.Once money is no longer an issue,many land mines will be removed from the education solution roadmap.

The Almost Lost Human Capital

A pertinent question that the ministry of national education ought to ask is: have we lost the nation's most valuable asset,the human capital?.My answer is that human resources are like natural resourses .You have to dig deeper to find them and once discovered,they should be managed wisely.We need a vision of how to leverage competence and reward positive performance.If we let the teachers grapple with the same routine problems ,they will end up falling into the rut.Some have already withered on the vine.So,what does it take to get this decisive parameter to act as an engine of development rather than a hampering brake?

First,at the recruitment stage teacher training schools should have a clear idea of what they expect would-be teachers to deliver.It is of cardinal importance to hire people for what they are now,not for what we hope they will become.I have always wondered what some "teachers" are doing in this sector given their profiles and personality traits which are at odds with their profession.Besides putting an end to nepotism practices,interview panels aiming at hiring future teachers should consider qualities such as an outgoing personality and interpersonal skills.The panel should prioritise character over intellect because it is the passion matched with a natural facility that makes the difference in this profession.

Second,the would-be teachers training has to be classroom-oriented.Indeed;cramming their heads with educational theory is of no practical relevance.Studying irrelevant subjects is a waste of time and money.In addition,more than half the training period should be devoted to practical work in the classroom.Also,exchange programmes and partnerships with national and international training centers must not be regarded as a luxury.

Third,provided we consider teachers as constituents within the educational system rather than mere components,a close attention should be paid to their working conditions.For instance,teachers who are appointed a thousand kilometers away from their hometowns suffer emotional,social and cultural detachment.A sizeable number of teachers do not take these appointments as a kind of touristic adventure.This is real suffering and a "legal" exile.During my twent-three-year teaching journey ,I witnessed many suicide attempts as a result of being detached from previous life style in modern cities and being appointed in remote areas.The landscape in some of these areas is as follows:one main street,half a hospital,two so-called schools and three barking dogs.The dogs were probably angry about their appointment there by the ministry of animal affairs.So,teach and enjoy social life.As someone who went through similar conditions, I was deprived of carrying on my postgraduate studies because the university where I was supposed to attend courses was 700 Km away from my workplace.So,as we cannot appoint everyone in his/her hometown,we should,at least, give them work not farther than 200 km from where they belong.

Another solution to motivate teachers is adopting a meritocracy system in pay and promotion.A primary school teacher with a certificate not lower than a bachelor's degree should start with a salary of 7000 dhs,the first cycle teacher 10,000 Dhs and the high school teacher 13,000 Dhs.This salary is not a luxury as some might imagine given the soaring prices in real estate ,education and health care.I had "eaten" chalk for twenty years before I earned 13,000 Dhs.Many cases are worse than mine.Incentives such as end of year bonus or employee of the year are far-fetched.Therefore,it is needless to suggest them.

Equally important is the number of working hours per week.Primary school teachers should work 24 hours,the first cycle techer 20 hours and the high school teacher 16 hours.This reasonable time of work will enable teachers to remain focused on their tasks.Indeed,overworking teachers results in stressedout individuals with poor social lives and inability to create.

Assessment:An Exam-oriented Culture

It is commonly known among educators that testing should be subordinate to learning,not the other way around.While we understand the international institutions' concern with testing as a multibillion dollar business,we cannot understand why,in Morocco, the exam is a matter of national security.One wonders why should the Moroccan educational system trap its students by giving them a false hope of success in the ninth form class,Common Core and Baccalaureate first year.Students in these levels are allowed to move to higher levels with scores such as 07/20 and in the Baccalaureate second year they require them to get 13/20 to reach the average mark of 10/20.This average mark,of course,does not allow them entry to prominent schools or university branches such as medicine which require 16/20 as a condition of enrolment.

So,the solution in my view is just common sense.We should not allow students to pass if they do niot achieve the 10/20 average mark from the outset.Those who fail should be given a second chance.Those who fail a second time should consider alternatve education.This has to be a temporary institution limited in number and designed to remedy the inadequacies of a transitional period.To sum up,the exam cannot continue to be the primary concern of education.Countries with successful educational systems in the world such as Finland do not prioritise testing over learning.

Intelligence With No Compass

Bearing in mind that there are many types of intelligence,not just one,it seems obvious that orientation in studies should not take the limited scope it has now in Morocco.In fact,the hierarchy of subjects does not favour an appropriate orientation.Students are packaged in branches that have nothing to do with their types of intelligence or mental capacities.

There is a need for a big institution of orientation with its experts and solid infrastructure.Orientation has to involve parents and students in decision-making.Enough time and space should be allowed to this operation nationwide.If you see the hasty unprofessional way this operation is carried out at the present moment,you might really doubt if they are just kidding.Experts in orientation should use sophisticated methods and equipment to explain the prospects of each branch of study.In a trade fair-like venue,every stand has to represent a branch of study.Bochures ,presentations and thorough assistance should be given to parents and students to help them decide about their future lives.As a matter of fact,orientation as a public service has to derive the essence of its existence from a clear professional framework.They should take into account findind a place for our students in the twenty-first century economies,not the currentl nineteenth century formula that has been adopted for ages.

Furthermore,another solution to the problem of disorientation is the establishment of a ministry of vocational education.It does not have to be annexed to the national education ministry.It should be an autonomous organism.Indeed, vocational education must not be considered as a last resort for low-achievers .It has to be viewed as a notorious institution with promising prospects.The venues of vocational education should take the shape of giant complexes like small cities of professional development and learning.There should be more than 300 job options available in each complex across the country.Indeed,learning ,experimenting,accumulating and transferring knowledge should be the moto of the organism.

To conclude,So many colleagues and undoubtedly education policy makers will view the above suggestions as far-fetched and day-dreaming because most of us in Morocco were not educated to push the limits but rather accept them.We were brought up to shelter our dreams in tiny comfort zones.We think of our complacence box as realism.However,we seem to ignore that the pain we endure in this box is bigger than the one we will experience if we start rolling the ball of change.As the poet Anais Nin once said in description of herself using the flower methaphore: "the pain it took to remain tight in a bud is greater than the pain it took to blossom".An outside-of-the box observer will regard the above proposals as common sense.Whatever our attitudes might be and no matter how blurred our vision is,we have to believe that there is a glimpse of light at the end of the long tunnel.