Activists from Morocco launched an electronic campaign to adopt English instead of French in education, describing the latter as “shabby”.
This came in posts and tweets on social media, days before the start of the new school year in early October.
And the Moroccan researcher, Abdelilah Al-Mansouri, said: “Yes, to English as a first foreign language in Morocco, instead of a decrepit language called French.”
And he added in a post on her Facebook page, that this “is a circulating campaign demanding the removal of the French language as a first foreign language from academic curricula and its replacement in English, as it is a roll of the future.”
For her part, activist Farah Ashbab said that “English is the language of learning and science.”
And she added in a video posted on her Facebook page that “most of the scientific references are published in English.”
She explained that “French ranks ninth in the list of the most widely spoken languages in the world, compared to English, which comes first.”
For his part, Khaled Nadir said, in a tweet on his Twitter account, that “Moroccans demand that their children be taught English from a young age as a first language to facilitate their access to foreign universities and enable them to enter the labor market professionally and proficiently for a successful future.”
He added that more than 6 million people interacted with this campaign in one day.
And in August 2019, a law to reform education in Morocco entered into force, one of its provisions allowing some subjects to be taught in French.
The second article of the law stipulates “the adoption of linguistic rotation,” by teaching some subjects, especially scientific and technical ones, or parts of some subjects, in a foreign language or languages.
In statements, political parties and civil associations criticized the adoption of French (the language of the former occupier 1912-1956) in teaching some educational subjects.
The Moroccan constitution states in its fifth chapter that “Arabic remains the official language of the state, and the state works to protect, develop and develop its use, and Tamazight is also an official language of the state, as it is a common asset for all Moroccans without exception.”
