School Year 2020-2021: Classes Start on September 7

The effective start of classes for the 2020-2021 school year will take place on September 7, announced the Ministry of National Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education and Scientific Research. Classes will start on September 7 for preschool establishments, the three cycles of education (elementary schools, middle schools and high schools) and the preparation classes for the Higher Technician Certificate (BTS), while the classes dedicated to students in non-formal education will kick off on October 5, the ministry said in a statement. The school year will start on September 1 under the slogan "For a renewed, equitable, civic and inclusive school", with the resumption of work by the executives and staff of the educational administration and the inspection body, the executives in charge of management of financial services, guidance and educational planning and administrative, educational and social support executives and common administrative employees, it said. The ministry also set September 2 as the deadline for resuming work for the teaching staff, noting the publication of the ministerial decision on the organization of the 2020-2021 school year which aims to program and determine the different stages, operations and activities for the next school year and the related schedule. The period from 1 to 5 September will be devoted to the completion of the various technical aspects relating to the start of the school year, in order to ensure the right conditions for the start of courses in the various educational establishments, under the supervision of the pedagogical administration, with the participation of the teaching staff, underlined the same source. It was also decided to devote the first courses, from September 7 to October 3, to the diagnosis and assessment of the students' achievements before starting the remedial courses, taking into account their learning assessment during the quarantine, while the school program will be implemented from October 5, while continuing to consolidate student achievements through the programming of remedial courses for learners who will need it, said the ministry. With the aim of strengthening the relation between educational establishments and their environment and consolidating the role of the family, as an essential partner of the school and within the framework of the implementation of the provisions of framework law 51-17 relating to the education, training and scientific research system, it was decided to organize meetings between the parents of students and the teachers twice a year at least and this, during the first week of the month of October and after the first semester, it noted. Given the exceptional circumstances due to the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19), certain novelties will be incorporated into the provisions of the ministerial decision, which aim to organize a school year under normal conditions, the press release noted, adding that these novelties are linked, in particular, to the remote learning system. It specified the possibility of amending and adapting the implementation of the provisions of this ministerial decision, if necessary, in the light of the evolution of the epidemiological situation in Morocco and in such a way as to ensure educational continuity for all learners, at all levels, under optimal safety conditions and in accordance with the health standards and criteria established by the competent authorities. This decision also provides for the school holiday calendar for elementary schools, middle schools and high schools, as well as for preparation classes for the BTS, indicated the ministry, noting the adoption of the principle of rotation on the basis of 6 to 7 weeks of courses, followed by a week of vacation.