The Ministry of National Education, Pre-school, and Sports announced, on September 10, the suspension of schooling in the rural communes and douars most affected by Al Haouz earthquake, as of September 11, and its continuation in other regions.
In coordination with local authorities, the Ministry decided to suspend schooling in the hardest-hit rural communes and douars in the provinces of Al Haouz, Chichaoua, and Taroudant (totaling 42 communes according to the latest data to date) as for September 11, while working to provide adequate teaching methods and local logistics to guarantee educational continuity for the students concerned over the next few days.
Details of these arrangements will be announced in the following days by the academies and provincial directorates and the educational establishments concerned while maintaining coordination with local authorities and ongoing communication with parents and guardians of students and other stakeholders.
The Ministry also reported in a press release that appropriate educational formulas will be used to guarantee continuity of education for students, including the use of nearby schools, for schools in other affected areas that are unable to accommodate students due to the damage.
Schooling will proceed regularly in the rest of the country’s schools, with the recitation on September 11 of the Fatiha in memory of the victims of the earthquake that shook Al Haouz region, immediately after the national flag salute and the Kingdom’s national anthem.
The Ministry also added that the crisis units set up at the central, regional (Marrakech-Safi and Souss Massa regional academies), and provincial (regional directorates) levels are working to identify the deaths and injuries sustained by the education and training personnel, as well as the material damage in schools, and find appropriate ways of ensuring educational continuity, with the mobilization and support of all pedagogical and administrative managers and directors of academies, regional directorates, and schools in full coordination with public, territorial and local authorities.
The same source deplored the death of seven teachers (four men and three women) among the victims of this earthquake, while thirty-nine others were injured, according to a provisional toll drafted on the morning of September 10.
Concerning school buildings, a total of 530 schools and 55 boarding schools were damaged to different degrees, ranging from collapse to serious cracks, particularly in the provinces of Al Haouz, Chichaoua, and Taroudant.
The Ministry stated that technical teams made up of engineers and technicians specialized in the building sector have been mobilized to draw up technical sheets for each of the damaged schools, detailing the material condition of the school, the damage recorded, and the intervention required for reconstruction or rehabilitation, to speed up the return to classes for the students concerned.
The same source underlined that this decision was taken following the current material situation of some schools located in these areas, requiring the intervention of specialized technical teams to carry out a comprehensive study and evaluation, with the aim of restoring, rehabilitating, or rebuilding these facilities, as well as preserving the safety of students and administrative and teaching staff, while guaranteeing students’ right to benefit fully from their learning periods.
In terms of social and psychological support for children in the worst-affected regions, social assistance managers will be mobilized to engage with students and provide them with all forms of assistance and psychological support to help them overcome the psychological shock, and return to school properly.
In coordination with Mohammed VI Foundation for the Promotion of Social Works in Education and Training, psychological support will also be offered to the teachers concerned to help them overcome the shock of this exceptional event, in addition to the support provided by the Foundation to accompany the education family and help those affected.
The Ministry is committed to taking all necessary measures to ensure the continuity of education following this earthquake, in accordance with the High Directives of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, as part of the government’s mobilization to deal with the outcome of this tragedy to restore public services related to the education of children as quickly as possible.
“In the face of this tragedy that has struck our country, the Ministry expresses its most heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathy to the families of the victims, who include members of the education family, considered martyrs to national and professional duty,” said the statement.
The Ministry added that “among the victims are also our dear students,” stressing that it shares with their families the most sincere feelings of sadness.
“We pray to the Almighty to grant His mercy and forgiveness to all the victims, and a speedy recovery to all the injured,” expressed the Ministry in its statement.
The Ministry also called for a general mobilization, urging all actors and stakeholders to unite their efforts to overcome the repercussions of this earthquake at the level of the national education system.
