Second Chance Schools in Morocco .. Don't be sad about your early dropout

Sanaa Kouiti - Rabat

Mohamed Moncef, 17, left school at the junior high because of family circumstances, but after two years of interruption he decided to seek a second opportunity to complete his studies and develop his education.

At the Mohammed V Second Chance School, Mohamed found his new generation, which opened on October 7, the first school of its kind in Rabat to give drop-out adolescents a chance to recuperate and return to school.

Support Tutorial
At the school, Mohammed receives support classes in mathematics, Arabic, French, physics and other subjects that will prepare him to pass the preparatory school exams, as well as a vocational training in home electricity, and has made great strides in learning this profession with the testimony of his colleagues and professors despite his weeks of training.

He intends to sharpen his studies to complete his studies and obtain a baccalaureate degree in parallel with learning the craft.This path, he said, will enable him to ensure a good future and make him a good human being in society.He says he wants to move forward in achieving his goal and seeks to be a reliable person.

Malak al-Asri, 18, rushed to register as an opportunity to hold on to her. Someone clung to a pole when a storm hit him as soon as she heard a school drop-out.

She left the school owners three years ago when she was in my first year of preparation, but she regretted her heartbreak because of the void and boredom that dominated her life.
She describes this experience as "the best opportunity given to the interrupted to remedy what they have missed," calling on its counterparts to take advantage of it and look at life with a serious eye rather than give in to weakness and lethargy.

She chose to learn women's shaving craft and focus on absorbing other subjects, and her teacher Zahira speaks with pride about the enthusiasm that she and other male and female classmates have experienced in learning and acquiring new skills despite their distance from school. And teachers to do their best to educate and train these students.

Heavy turnout
Around 65 adolescents aged 13 to 18 attended Mohammed V School during its first season, contrary to the expectations of the Foundation's management. School Principal Hakima Moomin says they were planning to receive 50 beneficiaries during the first year of the project, which was launched in partnership with the Ministry of National Education and Afaq Shaba for Development. The administration received more than 100, demonstrating the desire of many adolescents and their families to complete their education and return to school after years of interruption.

The wisdom of school drop-outs is attributable to occasional apathy, family circumstances, social pressures or other pressures inside the school, but students long after leaving school are regretted by the vacuum they find themselves and the absence of clear prospects.

School dropout figures are of concern in Morocco, with 222,000 students leaving primary and preparatory levels, according to official data from the Ministry of National Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education and Scientific Research, 39,000 of them in primary and 183,000 in lower secondary.

To overcome this situation, the Ministry of National Education has launched a number of programs, including the second generation new schools. In this regard, it has signed partnership agreements with civil society associations. It has started rehabilitation and equipping educational institutions to create 46 schools during this educational season in various parts of the Kingdom targeting 7,000 adolescents. Non-teachers will be added to the 32 centers that opened last season.

Rehabilitation and motivation
The Ministry of Education has decided to transform part of an elementary school in the neighborhood of Yacoub El Mansour in Rabat into a second opportunity school targeting the children of the neighborhood and neighboring neighborhoods who have dropped out of education, offering classes for school support and training in men's shaving, women's shaving, home electricity and media.

The principal says that beneficiaries will pass an end-of-year assessment based on their level of education, and those under the age of 15 can attend public school or specialized vocational training institutes, or simply learn to practice a career that suits them based on test results.

In addition to school support and craft training, the association has set up recreational activities for beneficiaries such as football, music, painting and excursions to create a space that encourages adolescents to continue their education without pressure.

Supervised by young teachers with graduate degrees and professional training, Hakima Moumen explains that the school administration was keen to choose a young team to be closer to learners and accommodate their needs at this critical age.

Hakima and her team are making great efforts to make this experience a success and get the youngsters to remedy what they have missed. “We are trying to provide all the conditions and means to form, educate and motivate students to integrate in school and hold this opportunity for them and their families,” she said.