Morocco's Minister of National Education, Preschool, Vocational Training, and Qualification, Nabil Benabdellah, presented his action plan for 2027 to the House of Representatives' Education Committee. The plan includes a budget of 106.95 billion dirhams for education and preschool, up from 102.19 billion dirhams in 2026. This represents a substantial increase of approximately 4.76 billion dirhams, or nearly 4.7%, from the previous year. The minister outlined the sector's priorities, including reducing class overcrowding, rehabilitating schools, combating school dropout rates, and developing preschool education.
The ministry aims to reduce class overcrowding in primary schools from 1.3% in the 2025-2026 academic year to less than 0.8%. Similarly, the goal is to decrease overcrowding in middle schools from 9.8% to less than 8% and in high schools from 9.4% to less than 7%. To achieve these objectives, the ministry plans to construct 40 primary schools, 25 community schools, 60 middle schools, and 67 high schools. Additionally, the ministry will extend existing schools by creating 2,468 new classrooms.
Rehabilitation of schools is another priority, with 2.05 billion dirhams allocated for this purpose. The program aims to partially or fully rehabilitate nearly 1,900 primary schools and 600 middle schools, as well as renovate around 200 boarding schools and high schools. Furthermore, the ministry plans to equip approximately 24,000 classrooms in primary schools and 10,000 classrooms in middle schools with digital materials.
The ministry is also committed to addressing school dropout rates. Benabdellah stated that his department has adopted an integrated approach to achieve "zero dropout" by 2030. This approach focuses on strengthening basic learning skills, providing individualized support to students, improving school attractiveness, expanding social services, and implementing preventive programs to combat dropout rates. The budget for this initiative includes 1.71 billion dirhams for social assistance and 450 million dirhams for academic support and extracurricular activities.
In terms of preschool education, the ministry aims to achieve a enrollment rate of around 90% for the 2026-2027 academic year, up from 82.3% in 2025-2026. The ministry will also continue to develop its pedagogical model. A total of 2.825 billion dirhams has been allocated for preschool education from the operating budget, and 600 million dirhams from the investment budget.
The ministry plans to recruit 15,590 teachers and specialized staff for the 2027-2028 academic year. Additionally, a competition will be held to fill 3,000 positions for administrative staff to address the shortage of school principals. The ministry also aims to settle the backlog of 10,298 candidates who passed professional aptitude exams in 2025.
The government is considering raising the age limit for teaching positions from 35 to 40 years old. This change aims to allow new teachers to work for a sufficient period before reaching retirement age, which is set at 63. The minister believes that setting the limit at 40 will provide 23 years of service, compared to 18 years if the limit were set at 45.
Key points
- The Moroccan government has allocated 106.95 billion dirhams for education and preschool in the 2027 budget.
- The ministry aims to reduce class overcrowding and dropout rates, and increase preschool enrollment.
- A total of 15,590 teaching positions are planned for recruitment in the 2027-2028 academic year.
