The Thursday of Concertation brings to the discussion the participative role of local elected representatives in the rehabilitation of the public school

The president of the commune of Salé , Mr Jamaâ El Moâtassim, chaired a consultation meeting on the theme: “What is the role of local elected representatives in the rehabilitation of public schools? “; on Thursday, 06 July 2017, starting at 16:00, at the large communal hall in Bab Bouhaja. The meeting was attended by the presidents of the borough councils, the members of the communal council, a few elected members of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region, representatives of the city’s external services and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the media, associative actors, a group of citizens, as well as a delegation of the Moroccan Network of Participative Governance (REMAGP), which took cognizance of the experience of the commune of Salé in the implementation of the provisions Legal mechanisms relating to the mechanisms of dialogue and consultation, through the meetings of the “Thursday of Concertation”, becoming a forum for consultation and discussion of local affairs.

At the beginning of the meeting, Mr El Moâtassim stressed the paramount importance of the theme of discussion as the second national priority after that of the territorial integrity of the Kingdom, and that interest had prevailed since independence, which has led to the organization of national debates and the establishment of dedicated committees on education such as the Higher Council for Education, Training and Scientific Research and which has published its vision on the reform of the education sector. He added that, despite efforts to promote the sector for which a budget of 60 MMDH had been earmarked, the expected results had not yet been achieved, stressing that the origin of the dysfunctioning of the education system is not material and it would therefore be necessary to open a debate with the various actors for the consultation on the various faults suffered by the public school and the positive contribution to development and the improvement of the level education in our country.

And from his position as chairman of the communal council, he said that the municipality would take all necessary measures to support the public school’s qualification initiatives according to the competences conferred on it by the law. Thus, among these measures taken in this context, the conclusion of a partnership agreement between the commune of Salé and the provincial directorate of the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training in support of basic education, of the deficit areas, through the realization and maintenance of schools and institutions of basic education.

For his part, Mr. Taoufiq El Harouti, head of the planning and school mapping division at the Provincial Directorate of the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training, set out the main thrusts of the strategy of educational reform for the period 2015-2030, stressing that the implementation of the strategic vision of the reform will be carried out through 16 integrated projects whose objectives are aligned with levers proper. The latter are organized in three areas, namely Equity and Equal Opportunities, which include six projects aimed primarily at achieving equity, both in education, social and gender, the eradication of the various types of disparities and the development of an inclusive society; the second area, “for a school of quality for all”, which also includes 6 projects aimed at rehabilitating the school for the development of its performance and its attractiveness and aiming at a total and equitable quality, which concerns the different actors of the school, education and training, curricula, school governance and scientific research; while the third area, which is divided into 4 projects, aims at the valorization and development of human capital and sustainable human development through the establishment of a School of individual self-development and social mobilization sustainable. With regard to the tools to ensure the success of these integrated projects, the speaker affirmed the strengthening of the management capacities of educational actors through the establishment of a moral contract to renew trust and mobilization and to give the actors their adherence to the reform.

Meanwhile, Ms Halima Chouika, vice-president of the communal council, said that the powers of the communal councils in the field of education are intended, within the framework of the strategic vision of the reform, to promote public schools in conjunction with the legal delimitation, in particular Article 87 of Organic Law 113.14 on municipalities, which grants local authorities their contribution in support of basic education, the creation of communal libraries and social care centers, as well as the creation of crèches and nurseries.

The intervener added that the commune of Salé is involved in a series of actions which contribute to the advancement of education through support to basic educational establishments through their connection to the water, electricity and sewerage network, with a financial contribution amounting to 300,000 DH; and this, in the framework of a partnership agreement with the Regional Academy of Education and other stakeholders. Similarly, the municipality grants annual financial premiums to the social reception centers which benefit the students of both Sala Al Jadida and Tabriquet. In fact, all borough councils mention in their annual programs the support and encouragement of students in public schools through the provision of school supplies for disadvantaged students and the awarding of prizes to the most deserving, as they participate in the cleanliness and rehabilitation of schools with the aid of painting, tiling their walls and signaling their perimeter.

In terms of expectations and future prospects, the municipality will continue to equip and maintain sports stadiums within schools and set aside for both sports education sessions for pupils and neighborhood associations outside school hours.
And through a presentation on the involvement of civil society in support of the school of tomorrow, Fatima Boubekri, representative of the boroughs’ consultation committees, addressed the problems faced by schools and procedures of  the promotion of public schools at the level of expected expectations, emphasizing the need to open up to the various channels of involvement of associations in workshops and reform initiatives in order to guarantee the chances of its success.

Concerning the contribution of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra regional council in the rehabilitation of the public school, Mrs. Naima Chaddadi, vice-president of the regional council responsible for culture, education and training, confirmed that the Region places education and training issues at the heart of their concerns and allocates appropriate resources for this purpose and which will enable the implementation of projects aimed at connecting schools to the water network, creating roads for their opening-up as well as their equipment for basic installations.
The second session of this meeting was devoted to discussion and consultation with the public present on the subject of the meeting, with a view to recording the proposals and recommendations that will be included in the program of action of the steering committee on “Thursday of Concertation “in order to activate them.

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