With the start of each school season, the administrative problems faced by Amazigh teachers in primary schools across the country are renewed, highlighting once again the fragility of the Amazigh position in educational strategies.
Dozens of Amazigh language teachers complained that they were assigned to teach other subjects besides failing to follow the weekly schedule set for the subject in schools, according to Hespress.
The professors of the subject have also criticized the lack of textbooks on the Amazigh subject, which was regarded by associations interested in the subject as “a violation of the Moroccan constitution, which provided for the official nature of the Amazigh language”.
The Amazigh Teachers’ Associations and the Amazigh Associations have previously criticized the content of the 6 September statement by the Ministry of National Education to encourage reading in Arabic and French without reference to the Amazigh language.
Amazigh actors considered the government’s statement to be inconsistent with all of the government’s commitments to citizens to step up government decisions regarding the Amazigh, calling on the Ministry of National Education to release another announcement including the official Amazigh language as part of three events in primary education.
In this regard, Rajab Machishi, a researcher on Amazigh language and culture, said that “most Amazigh language teachers face several administrative dilemmas while on the job, despite the constitutional recognition of Amazigh identity and culture, which is due to the lack of political will to upload teaching seminars the Amazigh language in educational institutions”, stressing that “the Amazigh language will not regain its place in public institutions except by political decision”.
Matsisi added in a statement to the online newspaper Hespress that “the absence of real political will from successive governments has contributed to hampering the spread of Tamazight in primary education, including the current government, whose president has claimed that he will establish a special fund for Tamazight to speed up its integration. into public life, but he did not fulfill his previous political promises.
The speaker continued that “workshops to promote the Amazigh language in public schools began many years ago after Ajdir’s speech and continued after the constitutional recognition of the Amazigh language, but he faced several educational dilemmas”, pointing to the “tremendous effort made by the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture in preparing didactic, linguistic and cultural equipment associated with the Amazigh”. This has led to an increased academic momentum of researchers regarding the Berber language and identity.”
The same researcher added, explaining: “Yesterday there were excuses for logistical and human shortcomings to derail the Amazigh training workshops in Morocco, but the opposite was proven after the success of the media, translations, universities, civil society, arts and cultural workshops. and other scientific fields,” adding that “the suffering of Amazigh teachers in the education system.” This reflects the fragility of the educational strategy adopted by the decision maker.
And Machishi continued: “The issue of teaching the Amazigh language in schools is mainly related to the reality of its loading in all aspects of public life, which requires the activation of a comprehensive state plan for loading the official character of Amazigh in order to avoid the administrative obstacles faced by those who work in the field. Amazighs in all scientific, educational, academic and cultural fields.”
