The meeting, organised by the Regional Academy of Education and Training for the Fez-Meknes region in coordination with the Public Prosecution at the Fez Court of Appeal on the occasion of the meeting of the Regional Committee for the Care of Women and Children Victims of Violence, was devoted to studying the topic of "Bullying against children". It was confirmed that the students who returned to continue their studies were facing the threat of dropping out, but thanks to the combined efforts of various actors and stakeholders, the dreams of these students to continue their education alongside their fellow students were realised once again.
In an opening speech on the occasion, the Director of the Regional Academy of Education and Training for the Fez-Meknes region, Fouad Arwadi, confirmed that the 2022-2026 Reform Roadmap has made reducing school dropout rates a strategic goal among its three strategic objectives, and has established an procedural framework to achieve this, including twenty programmes targeting intervention at three basic levels: the student, the teacher, and the institution.
He added that the Academy is making great efforts in the fields of educational action, as well as mobilisation, awareness-raising, and communication with various actors and stakeholders, including government sectors, local authorities, parents, guardians of students, and civil society actors.
He continued that the meeting aims at the smooth activation of joint work mechanisms between the Academy and the Public Prosecution, which would enable children and girls to continue their schooling until the end of compulsory education, as it is a basic entry point to reduce the phenomena of violence and bullying in the school environment, as well as the phenomenon of underage marriage.
He pointed out that work will be done to expand the circle of institutional coordination with various actors, in order to spread a culture of non-violence through the implementation of joint initiatives, to create a safe atmosphere in the school environment and to address all abnormal phenomena.
In turn, the First Deputy Public Prosecutor at the Fez Court of Appeal, Abdelaziz El Bakkali, considered in his speech that the meeting was the result of a series of meetings and an action plan that emerged from effective coordination between the Regional Committee for the Care of Women and Children Victims of Violence, the Fez-Meknes Academy, and other government sector actors.
He pointed out that all the projects that the Regional Committee has focused on preparing, monitoring, and implementing the recommendations related to, have particularly concerned the aspects related to child protection and effective care, which allows for the dedication of their capabilities and enhances and raises the capabilities of those involved in the field.
The programme of the Regional Committee meeting included the presentation of a group of presentations that addressed the topic of bullying and its psychological repercussions and effects on the child's health, in addition to presenting and discussing the draft regional plan to enhance the care of children victims of bullying, which aims to ensure protection for children victims of violence, and to raise training capabilities in the field of caring for children victims of bullying.
The meeting falls within the framework of implementing and establishing the regional protocol for activating the partnership signed between the Ministry of National Education, Preschool and Sports, and the Presidency of the Public Prosecution.
The meeting aims to mobilise and raise awareness among various actors and stakeholders about the seriousness of the phenomenon of violence that causes school dropout, ensure their involvement alongside educational institutions to limit the phenomenon, discuss the results of implementing the partnership agreement that brings together the Fez-Meknes Academy and the Public Prosecution, and raise awareness of the principle of compulsory education and attempt to activate it through the process of supporting and returning female and male students who have dropped out or are at risk of dropping out of school.
