Morocco’s UMT calls for clear weekly teaching hours for Amazigh language

Saturday 03 - 08:45

The debate over the organization of Amazigh-language teaching in Morocco’s public schools has moved to the administrative level, with the National Federation of Education affiliated with the Moroccan Workers’ Union (UMT) urging the Ministry of National Education to establish a precise and binding framework for weekly teaching hours.

In a letter addressed to Minister of National Education, Preschool and Sports Mohamed Saad Berrada, the union federation called for the rapid issuance of a ministerial directive specifying the amount of classroom time allocated to Amazigh language instruction. The request comes amid reports of differing interpretations of teaching-hour requirements in schools.

Union seeks uniform rules across schools

The UMT federation argues that the absence of sufficiently explicit and uniform provisions can lead to different practices from one institution or administrative area to another. According to the union, such variations create uncertainty for teachers responsible for Amazigh instruction and complicate the organization of their professional duties.

The issue is not limited to classroom scheduling. The federation also links the question of teaching hours to the broader management of educational and administrative responsibilities, arguing that a clearly defined framework would give schools and teachers a common reference for organizing lessons and workloads.

Recent reporting on the union's correspondence confirms that its central demand is the adoption of a ministerial note establishing the weekly timetable for Amazigh teaching in public education.

Focus on teachers’ working conditions

The federation has also raised concerns about the professional consequences of inconsistent interpretations. It says that teachers of Amazigh may face assignments or timetables that vary according to local decisions, potentially creating disparities in workload and in the way teaching responsibilities are distributed.

For the union, a national framework would help prevent practices that it considers inconsistent with existing regulations governing teaching duties and school timetables. It is therefore asking the ministry to ensure that both administrative and educational authorities apply the rules established by the department.

The question comes as the Moroccan education system is implementing changes to school timetables for the 2026-2027 academic year. In September, the ministry issued instructions concerning the organization of school schedules and stressed the need to preserve the teaching time allocated to each subject and level.

A question of consistency in Amazigh education

The UMT’s intervention places the organization of Amazigh teaching within a wider challenge facing the public education system: translating national educational decisions into consistent practices at school level.

For the federation, defining the weekly teaching volume would provide greater clarity not only for teachers but also for school administrations responsible for preparing timetables and assigning classes. It argues that a standardized approach would contribute to more equal treatment among teaching staff and reduce room for divergent local interpretations.

The union is consequently pressing the education ministry to address what it describes as operational shortcomings and to establish a regulatory basis for decisions concerning Amazigh teachers’ assignments.

Ministry intervention awaited

The federation considers the matter sufficiently urgent to require a direct ministerial response. Its request is for a clearly worded instruction capable of serving as a common reference throughout public schools, rather than leaving the organization of Amazigh teaching to differing local practices.

The outcome will depend on whether the Ministry of National Education adopts additional instructions defining the weekly timetable and the corresponding responsibilities of schools and teachers. Until then, the UMT maintains that greater regulatory clarity is needed to ensure consistent implementation and predictable working conditions for Amazigh-language teachers.