51 médersas exist in the province of Tiznit. Only about twenty of them are pedagogically supervised by the Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs. Those that have benefited from an upgrade and a modern teaching programme have not all succeeded in their transformation. The causes are numerous and varied: insufficient financial and human resources, inadequacy of reception infrastructure, and the rest is left to chance.

But four of these educational establishments have succeeded in modernising their curricula at the primary, middle, and secondary school levels. These are the Quranic schools of Ighechane in the Tafraout region (where 56 Talebs are enrolled), that of Rassmouka near Tiznit (80 Talebs), that of Ibdi (74 Talebs), and that of Tafraout’lmouloud in Anzi (82 Talebs).

If there is an example of success that should be highlighted, that of the Lalla Mammas Ali Quranic school in Tassrirt deserves all the attention. Created in the middle of the 17th century and located about twenty kilometres south of Tafraout, this school has traded its mats, wooden tablets, and rote learning of yesteryear for classrooms, desks, blackboards, and courses identical to those of all Moroccan schools.

In addition to the traditional lessons of theology, grammar, lexicology, dialectics, and rhetoric, they learn the French language and grammar, mathematics, history, geography, sciences, chemistry, and physics.

In order to succeed in its challenge of upgrading all the Médersas in the province, the Ministry of Habous has mobilised nearly 120 teachers working in public middle and high schools, in addition to several dozen graduates of the Institutes of Theological Sciences. As the icing on the cake, introductory computer courses have been introduced into the curricula to ensure that the Tolbas receive a modern education capable of giving them training that can guarantee them better social and professional integration.

Lalla Mammas Ali Quranic school in Tassrirt, about twenty kilometres south of Tafraout. It is 5 o'clock in the morning. At the Tagrramt médersa, every day, the day begins very early with the usual morning "roll call" that precedes the Al fajr prayer. Here, discipline is rigorous. All the tolbas (students) are required to show diligence and respect the times for performing the five daily prayers. Once this religious duty and the ritual morning recitation of the Quran are completed, classes begin immediately. It must be said that since this Quranic school, created in the middle of the 17th century, was placed under the supervision of the Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs, it has taken on a new look. Gone are the mats on which the tolbas sat and the wooden tablets. The large room serving as a classroom has nothing to envy of modern schools: tables, chairs, blackboard, library... And "the lessons are now transcribed into notebooks", Abdellah Lajhad, the imam of this religious establishment, is pleased to tell us. He is the one who ensures the proper functioning and management of the premises. He is also responsible for providing original education courses to the thirty tolbas that the Quranic school has. "The children begin by learning the divine word; once the Quranic verses are learned by heart, they begin exegesis and the Hadith (sayings of the Prophet Sidna Mohammed). Afterwards, they can delve into in-depth studies of theology, grammar and lexicon, dialectics, and rhetoric. However, since it has been subject to the pedagogical supervision of the Ministry of Habous, the médersa now has a unified programme approved by the supervisory ministry and uses a modern pedagogical methodology. Without, of course, "straying" from its vocation of yesteryear, namely the propagation and deepening of the faith. To do this, two teachers, graduates of the teacher training school, are commissioned by the ministry to provide courses there. "We are taught all the subjects taught in public schools: French language, mathematics, history-geography, practical sciences, natural sciences, physics, etc.", rejoices a student.

The médersa, specifies the imam, aligns itself with the public education model. Courses are given there according to six school levels ranging from the first to the sixth school year. "Exactly like in a normal school", underlines A. Lajhad.

In principle, once primary studies are completed, the tolbas can continue their schooling in secondary classes, explains our interlocutor. And to add, the end of each school cycle is now duly sanctioned by a certificate of studies that the "graduates" can use to access other higher educational establishments to continue their schooling or apply for a job. At the beginning of the launch of this operation to supervise the Quranic schools in the region by the Department of Habous and Islamic Affairs, the inhabitants, who saw it as an unwelcome "takeover", did not hide their concern, fearing a diversion of these schools from their traditional role of propagating the faith and spreading Islamic culture. Among the tolbas and imams, this did not fail to arouse prejudices as well. But the apprehensions quickly dissipated. "The experience proved fruitful. It is for us like a breach opened onto another world. To be satisfied with a single culture is to cultivate a narrow and limited mind", the students recognise in chorus.

For Mohamed, originally from the Taroudant region, a fifth-year student at Tagrramt, "already, I feel better equipped in terms of linguistic baggage to handle a mobile phone, a computer...; suddenly, this allowed me to discover the Internet and use it to deepen my knowledge and better understand the world around us. As for scientific subjects, adds his comrade, we quickly noticed how much they put you in direct contact with reality and cultivate logic and reasoning, far from methods favouring the mnemonic stuffing of immutable and fixed knowledge. It is also the best bulwark against the extremism that seclusion and the refusal of modernity fuel, fierce enemies of openness to other cultures, the tolbas recognise.

Also, strengthened by these reforms, the Tagrramt médersa today enjoys a good reputation in the region. This is evidenced by the increasingly growing number of young people in search of knowledge coming from distant regions such as Elhouz, Haha, Tiznit, and Taroudant.