This document discusses improving literacy rates in Morocco through mobile education. It notes that Morocco currently has the lowest literacy rate in North Africa at 48% and outlines some reasons why past literacy programs have failed, including social pressures, infrastructure issues, and lack of coordination. However, Morocco has a highly developed mobile network with over 33 million subscribers. The document proposes a mobile education program that would deliver educational content via recorded audio, radio, TV, and 3G to improve accessibility. It identifies potential sponsors such as mobile operators, the education ministry, and national broadcasters. The goal is to leverage existing mobile infrastructure to address the challenges that have undermined previous literacy initiatives.

1. Mobile Education for
improving low rate of
Literacy in Morocco
By Saida BOUHMIDI
June 2012

2. I have a dream !!
 35 Millions of Moroccan could at least write and read their name
 Completion of full primary schooling by all Moroccan children
 Equitable access to learning and life skills programs for young
people and adults
 Eliminate gender disparity

3. Evolving understandings
Definitions of literacy have broadened in the past 20 years
o The most common understanding of literacy: a tangible set of skills,
particularly the cognitive skills of reading and writing
o Notion of functional literacy focuses on how these skills are applied
in relevant ways. UNESCO’s 1978 definition still in use today
o Literacy as transformative: an active process of learning involving
social awareness and critical reflection
o Literacy is widely viewed as a continuum of skills
o Increasing reference is made to the importance of rich literate
environments

4. Why literacy?
 Literacy is a right
 Literacy is a foundation for all further learning
 Literacy carries profound individual and social
benefits
 Literacy matters for poverty reduction
 Literacy drives progress towards all the
Education for All goals
Literacy is a right still denied to some 771 million adults
Literacy is neglected on policy agendas

5. Benefits:
why literacy matters
 Self-esteem and empowerment: widening choices, access to other rights
 Political benefits: increased civic participation in community activities, trade
unions and local politics
 Cultural benefits: questioning attitudes and norms; improves ability to
engage with one’s culture
 Social benefits: better knowledge of healthcare, family planning and
HIV/AIDS prevention; higher chance of parents educating children
 Economic benefits: Returns on investment in adult literacy programs are
comparable to those in primary level education

6. Literacy: countries in the spotlight
Three-quarters of the world’s illiterate adults
live in 12 countries
Source: www.efareport.unesco.org

7. Zoom in : Morocco
 Morocco had the lowest adult literacy rate in North Africa;
 48 per cent of inhabitants older than 10 years old are illiterate
 Two million children between 9 and 15 years old don’t have access to
school and don’t benefit of any kind of education.
 The low rate of literacy, places Morocco at 121st Position among 177
countries for which the index has been calculated.
However
 Telecommunication network is among the most developed in Africa
 The mobile penetration rate is around 104, 78 % which presents more than
33 Millions of mobile phone holders’
 Mobile phone mobile services have proven able to answer to the needs of
all classes of the population .
ANRT : Tableau de Bord Trimestriel Mars 2011

8. Why Literacy Programs end in
Failure ? 1/3
Social factors:
o In Berber villages, there is strong social pressure on girls not to attend school
o The girls in rural regions get married at their lower age before age 14 which
discourage them to continue their education.
o Most of parents living in the rural zones are illiterate , which makes difficult to
convince them by the importance of the schooling of their children
o The high rate of poverty push parents to stop the primary education of their children
and to oblige them to work in small shops to help increasing the income of the
whole family
o The literacy programs are not taking account the cultural diversity inside Morocco
(more than three native languages (Tarifit, Tashelhit, Tamazight and Arabic,) )

9. Why Literacy Programs end in
Failure ? 2/3
Infrastructure factors
o Population disparity over rural regions where peoples struggle with lack of
appropriate schools, roads, transportation, water and electricity.
o Most of schools in the rural areas are far from the populations , children
need to cross at least 2 Km to reach the nearest school
o The organization of literacy courses was not taking account the
infrastructure issues that limit the accessibility to the locals where these
literacy courses were offered.

10. Why Literacy Programs end in
Failure ? 3/3
Logistic factors
o Absence of an efficient coordinator that can supply a synergy between the
different literacy projects , programs and actions
o Poor implication of the nongovernmental organizations and local groups
concerning the Literacy and Non-formal Education programs
o Missing of an efficient monitoring and evaluation system of Non-formal and
formal Education programs

11. Literacy Programs failure Versus
Telecommunication services Success
key success factors
Telecom offers
key failure factors
Literacy Programs
 Accessibility issues
 Cultural diversity
 Education level of parents
 Disadvantaged backgrounds
 Geographic location
 Incomes
 Gender disparity Learners dont have enough
and well-designed teaching
material

12. Let’s ask some questions !!
How to use our strengths to address our weaknesses ?
 How to improve the rate of literacy in Morocco by taking
advantage of the high penetration rate of mobile phone ?
 How to insure the implementation success of mEducation
solution?
 Who could be the main potential sponsors of this project?

13. Proposal
• Recorded contents
• Radio broadcasting
• TV
• 3G contents
To insure the relevance of such education concept, mEducation does not
prevent the student from taking exams or participating in formal gatherings at
the institution’s premises.

14. Main stakeholders
The main stakeholders of such mEducation program, that I could list are:
 mEducation program Manager that will be the bridge between all
Internal and external stakeholders
 Mobile content providers as Main stakeholder
 Moroccan government ( Minister of Education ) as sponsor
 The local telecom operators as sponsor and partner
 SNRT : National company of radio and television as sponsor and
partner

15. Q&A

16. If you need more detail Or you would like to sponsor this initiative please contact :
Saida BOUHMIDI
sa_bouhmidi@yahoo.fr
@sbouhmidi
Saida Bouhmidi