PISA Report Reveals Persistent Decline in Moroccan Education Standards

Carried out with the support of the Millennium Challenge Account-Morocco Agency and the technical support of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the 2018 PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) national report was presented on February 9, 2022 by the National Evaluation Authority (INE) under the Higher Council for Education, Training and Scientific Research (CSEFRS).

According to the report, Moroccan students have a low level and this constitutes an obstacle to their professional, social and personal fulfillment. About 7,218 students aged 15 years old from 180 establishments participated in the tests. The aim is to assess their learning and how they assimilate the various knowledge and skills that are instilled in them at school.

According to the results of this report "36% of Moroccan young people aged 15 are not covered by the survey because they have never been to school, have dropped out or because they are still in primary school, while they should have been in 10th grade (common core). These young people certainly have not acquired the basic skills that allow them to succeed in life and actively participate in the development of the country. It follows that inclusion, which is a prerequisite for equity and consists of ensuring that all children can acquire the essential basic skills (2019), is not achieved by the Moroccan education system," the report reveals.

The document also points out that "boys show more delay, and they are more numerous in school levels 7 and 8 (30% of boys compared to 14% of girls)". Also, "more than half of the girls are at levels 10 or 11 (56%, most of them at level 10) while 37% of the boys are at these levels. Regarding 9th grade, the difference between the two genders is modest: 34% of boys and 30% of girls," it can be read.

According to the data presented in the 2018 PISA report, 49% of the students who participated in these tests have repeated at least one grade during their school career. They mostly come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The report also reveals that in terms of science and mathematics, Morocco is at the very bottom of the scale. "The gaps recorded compared to the OECD average are considerable, ranging from 112 in science to 128 in reading comprehension, almost the equivalent of four years of schooling. These gaps would widen if all 15-year-olds had taken the tests," the report specifies.

With such a low level, how many are thinking of pursuing their studies. Only 54% of Moroccan 15-year-old students said they want to continue their studies. 34% of them want to continue because their dream job requires a degree. The others (20%) give as a reason the fact that they do not know what to do later. Furthermore, 30% of students believe they will enter the job market, either because the job they have chosen does not require higher education (14%), or because they want to be financially independent (17%).