Laayoune, Morocco
As Soren Kierkegaard states “How
absurd men are? They never use the liberties they have. They demand those they
do not have. They have freedom of thought; they demand freedom of speech.” When
we outflank around, we realize that freedom of thought is the only thing we
still have in this enraging world, and, then, we call upon that it will never
be taken from us. I believe that we are
all free and that one way to clearly express our freedom is by thinking, and
these are my thoughts about our intimidating reality.
I, again, write for the sake of further
elaboration on the issue of education in Morocco. It is, though, worth noting
that along the lines, several examples that voice teachers’ concerns, doubts
and fears will be comprised. These examples are the direct result of several discussions
that have been undertaken earlier with so many of them. Therefore, such
examples are relatively true and merely reflect their genuine experience and
perceptions.
As it has already been aforesaid, the
mistaken belief that the government fosters with respect to the contractual
policy in Morocco is distinctly noticed in statements such as “some teachers
are ineffective…some are not doing an adequate job or working as hard as they
should”. Therefore, contracts will render the coveted prospect. It is very true
that a system of accountability will be needed to encourage teachers to assume
more responsibility towards their duty. Yet, it should meanwhile be able to
guarantee their constancy and social stability.
Throughout the very long history of
education, debates and discussions have never excluded the role of teachers. It
is pivotal to be au fait that teachers exert a positive influence on
learners and the community at large through transferring values of a high and
incorporeal nature. However, and to be fair-minded, there are minorities that
discourage this very task. A system of evaluation is, therefore, required to
monitor teachers’ work. For that matter, I never dare to suggest as there are
specialists in the domain, but I can share some of the reflective ideas that
can ultimately promote a reasonable system of accountability. The first is intensifying
the number of agencies authorized to take charge of monitoring teachers’ work. The
second is establishing short and long-term standards to achieve within a specified
time. The third is establishing professional work communities that model and
monitor the progress of teachers. The task of such communities is to inspire
teachers and foster their skills through continuous professional development.
For a flash, one may think this is ideal, but it is very feasible everywhere,
and in Morocco is no exception.
Unfortunately, there is a spectrum of
considerations that have firmly fueled the disinterest in the current contractual
decision. All of them sprang from an obvious mistreatment and disrespect that some
teacher contractees experienced at work by a colleague, a head master, a
director, or a student. I truly disclaim the generalization of these incidents.
Yet, it is very true, and there is an array of examples that support this
statement. To begin with the recent issue that has hugely quaked Facebook, in
particular, a teacher in Ouarzazate has been victimized by one single decision
without any severance pay. A deadly report, which is supported by very weak
arguments about his disqualification and mistreatment to learners, has been fully
taken into account by the academy.
I, personally, would not expect too much
from a teacher who has been invited from home to school without the barest
work-conditions: training. However, a question that hammers my mind every
single time is as follows: has the teacher worthily proven himself in the
assessments that have been taken to determine whether teachers have the
necessary prerequisites or not? If yes, would the word “disqualified” be
overlooked?
It is very
conspicuous that there is a conspiracy to destroy public education. It seems
far-fetched. However, there are hidden agencies assigned this task that are
clearly targeting “the teachers” through divesting them from the right of belonging
to any corporation, encouraging the current brittle situation, and sinking them.
As Diane Ravitch says “you don’t improve
education by demoralizing people who have to do the work every day”. Therefore,
one cannot expect that much from the current situation of education, given the
clear fallacies spinning all around.
Another incident happened in
Boujdour a few weeks ago. A diligent teacher contractee of mathematics (PhD.
Holder in physics) who is teaching the school headmaster’s daughter experienced
a real pressure from the school director and head master. After the 2nd
Baccalaureate student had received a poor grade on the math test, the teacher
was formally informed to repeat the test. He refused but later was accused of
fraud. To exculpate himself, he fearfully decided to call the inspector to
resolve the problem. Is not this an example where authority is being mistakenly
practiced to achieve an arrogant self-interest?
The examples of this deteriorated situation
are multiple, and the choice of which to mention here is very random. A secondary
education teacher contractee, who is a B.A. holder in English studies, has
spent months waiting and preparing to seize the opportunity and has actually proven
his worthiness after the assessments that took place last July. He was
extremely happy. He felt proud and heard a lot of words of congratulations from
friends and family members. But later, he was extremely shocked and devastated
by a direct order he received from the academy to work as a primary school
teacher. To do something he has never expected and never prepared for was very
de-motivating. Anyway, does this decision reflect anything about the department’s
responsible for management and administration?
Actually, a lot and one thing to clearly confirm here is that the
overall system is being fixed and restored, every now and then.
The malicious
political intervention to victimize public education has continuously proven
itself. Every single teacher contractee is bombarded by ideas about their
future agenda that is seemingly blank under the unstable situation they are
indulged in. The current ominous policy requires teacher contractees to work
two years and then take “CAPES” test (Certificat d’Aptitute au Professorat de
l’Enseignment du Second degré) to prove themselves qualified. Taking the examples mentioned previously into
account, it seems that any mistake, whether, intentional or unintentional, will
result in expulsion. It does not sound very encouraging at all.
All things
considered, the unjustified attack on public education remains legitimate from
the part of government and unquestionably welcomed by the teacher citizen. There is a need, more than any time, to
recognize the priorities and take action. These examples and so many others we
hear every single day are inauspicious. Days go by, and every single teacher
contractee feels long-lost and spirit-broken in his or her homeland. It is
believed that the current irritating situation has somewhat contributed to
denationalized citizenship and total freedom deficit. Deep silence has largely
increased the intensity of the situation and the experience of expatriation and
foreignness is fed by deceiving the ever-acknowledged reality that teachers are
the very seeds of any change and future development.
No comments:
Post a Comment