Moroccan Parents Complain of Constant Renewal of School Books Amid Weak Purchasing Power
(AWP) - A decision to periodically renew schoolbooks is sparking controversy among Moroccans who believe that the additional expense will only add to their economic burdens and further weaken their purchasing power.
Students’ parents questioned the feasibility of the measure, especially since the books do not contain substantial changes due to a lack of any major alterations to the curriculum.
Maarouf Abbas, President of the National Association for Parents and Guardians of Students in Morocco, said, “Every year, parents are forced to buy new books and dispose of them at the end of the school year due to curriculum renewal, especially in subjects such as English, where writing directly in the book renders it unusable for the following year.”
Parents pointed out that publishing houses are the biggest beneficiaries of the decision forcing them to buy new books for their children every two or three years.
According to Rabat resident, Mohammed Oublak, the decision will only add further financial burdens on parents and called for the unification of textbooks and curricula in Moroccan schools.
He said, “These changes are not short-lived to the extent that we can find teachers within the same school each teaching using a specific and different book, such as Al-Mufid, Al-Murshid, and others.”
Oublak concluded, “Therefore, the visions and study materials must be unified because this is not in students’ best interests. The changes involve not only the curricula but also the titles and contents of the books.”
Secondary school student Suhail al-Freji also said that the decision will make life more difficult for students and their families.
“Books are changed every year. We and our families struggle to afford this.”