Teaching English to children in Morocco

Education in Morocco is made free and compulsory to children from the age of 7 up until 15 years of age. Enrolment for primary education is around 90% but drop-out rates in the secondary stage (12 to 15) are amongst some of the highest in the world, especially amongst girls who are expected to stay at home and help. It is therefore no surprise that literacy rates between 15 to 24 years olds in Morocco are as low as 72% for women and 87% for men.The main language in Morocco is Arabic, with French being the second language of the majority. However, English is increasingly becoming the foreign language of choice – particularly due to the high levels of youth unemployment and national economical shift from agriculture to service related industries, such as tourism and telecommunications. Furthermore with no welfare state in place, it is important that young people adapt to the modernisation of the job market. Thus English language training has become increasingly sought after.Due to a decline in government spending on public education and shortage of English teachers within Morocco, the economically disadvantaged members of society are reliant on the help of international volunteers in order to learn English. PMGY collaborates with a number of school and community projects in Rabat. Volunteers like myself are mobilised to provide the children and young people from poor families the chance to learn English and improve their chances of gaining meaningful employment in the future. We are fortunate enough to live in a country that the right resources for every child, boys and girls to thrive in the work place exist. Learning English could help a Moroccan child reach higher education and hopefully acquire a good job so they can support their families and help the Morrocon economy improve.  Your help would be much appreciated....every little helps! :)