Morocco Debates Shift from French to English as Primary Foreign Language

Replace French with English in Morocco. This is the call that many Moroccans are making to the country’s authorities through the hashtag #YesToEnglishInsteadOfFrenchInMorocco. According to them, French is outdated, limited in its influence and is the language of the "colonizer". "Even the French recognize the importance of English, so why not move on to something else?" questions Tarikilla, a Moroccan Twitter user.

Khalifa, another internet user, calls "on young people to learn English in parallel with other languages, without compromising the national Arabic and Amazigh languages". He also encourages Twitter users to continue using the hashtag "so that this request can be considered". "English is the path to success in all fields, as it is a scientific language and most people in the world speak it," says the educational program AJI, in a statement published on its Facebook page.

"Mastering the English language will open indescribable doors and opportunities for Moroccan students," comments the Facebook account ’Kingdom of Morocco’, which describes itself as a media company, however noting that French is also important, as it allows Moroccans to communicate with people from the West African nations of Senegal and Mali.