The public education sector will be strengthened by the commissioning, during the next school year, of several new educational establishments, with the aim of improving schooling conditions and supporting the increase in the number of enrolled pupils, indicates the Regional Directorate of National Education and Vocational Training of the Al Haouz province.

According to a presentation given during a communication meeting recently organised by the Directorate, the number of public primary schools in the province will reach 173 during the next school year, compared to 171 during the previous school year.

For the lower secondary cycle, the number will rise to 25 colleges compared to 23 institutions last year, while the number of annexes will be reduced to 1 instead of 3, the same source highlights, adding that the number of upper secondary cycle establishments stands at 14 high schools, 12 of which are qualifying. Furthermore, the number of pupils enrolled in all cycles of public schools during the previous school year at the provincial level reached 115,021 pupils, including 51,803 girls, the Directorate notes.

Regarding primary school, the number of enrolled pupils reached 84,659, including 40,286 girls, while in secondary school: 21,359 pupils (including 7,947 girls) and in the qualifying cycle: 9,003 pupils, including 3,570 girls. As for the enrolment rate in the province during the previous school year, it stood at 95% (primary), 78% (lower secondary cycle) and 54% (upper secondary cycle). Concerning the school dropout rate in the province for the past school year, it was around 2% in primary, 3% in lower secondary and 2% in upper secondary.