Morocco
Fez Fes vies with Marrakesh for the title of Morocco's most exotic city. This is the country's spiritual capital and, despite the encroachment of modernity, it has maintained its authentic appeal down through the ages, holding onto its stately bearing as an Imperial City. Its minaret and dome punctured skyline and timeless crumbling Islamic architecture are the top sightseeing draw-cards for tourists. Culture-vultures will have a field day craning their necks along the narrow alleyways at all the monument attractions. With historic buildings on every corner, and a bundle of decent museums, this is a Moroccan metropolis that shouldn't be missed.
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History:The most mystical of Morocco's imperial cities, Fez was founded in AD 808 by the Moroccan ruler saint Moulay Idris II and under his rule became the capital and spiritual center of Morocco. The city is situated in a narrow valley against the backdrop of the Middle Atlas, and positioned on the old crossroads of caravan routes connecting the Saharan empires like Timbuktu and Takrur with the Atlantic and the Mediterranean shipping lanes. Due to this, Fez has remained a commercial centre for much of its history. Today it is still considered Morocco's premier religious city by virtue of its Islamic traditions.
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Fes el Bali is the city's oldest neighbourhood and, within its rambling streets, there are two distinctly different districts divided by a meandering river. The left bank is home to the most historic monuments and the majority of the shopping souks, while the right bank may be scruffier but is full of local life and photogenic alleyways. The entire Old City is a walker's delight with plenty of opportunities to explore and soak up the atmosphere of Fes life. The Old City is thought to be one of the largest surviving of its type in the world.
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Education King Mohammed VI of Morocco marked the 60th anniversary of the restoration of his country’s sovereignty from the French in 2013. Yet, he chose not to dwell on the past in his annual speech to the nation. Nor did he remark on the disastrous and complex conflicts in Egypt and Syria, Yemen, Libya, Tunisia, and elsewhere, that embroil the surrounding region. Instead, he dedicated his speech to the youth of Morocco, focusing on the state of education in the kingdom.
As a former U.S. ambassador and foreign service officer, and President of AMIDEAST – the largest American provider of English language and workforce skills training in Morocco with 30 years of experience in the country – I read the king’s speech with great interest. “Work together to improve the effectiveness of Morocco’s education system” First, some background. Morocco has no oil resources and so has had to finance most of its education budget internally. It has had one of the highest rates of illiteracy in the region among rural populations, especially women. Schooling requires both Arabic and French if one wants to go beyond primary school, and the public system is struggling to keep up with the demands of a burgeoning population. And yet, Morocco is making progress towards achieving its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) because the king has made his country’s social and human development his top priority. His speech could not make that more clear. King Mohammed sees education as key to good citizenship and family solidarity. In it, he twice refers to himself as a “caring father who, like any father, loves his children deeply.” He places education at the center of social and human development as it imparts values and skills that benefit families, communities, and the nation. One surprise is the king’s mention of the disparity between the public and private educational systems and his recognition that Morocco must do more for all of its citizens in terms of providing quality education and training. |
In Morocco, the adult illiteracy rate is still at a high at around 40 percent in 2007, despite concerted efforts being made since independence in 1956 to reduce the rate of illiteracy which at that time was 87 percent. In absolute terms the illiterate adults have grown from six to nine million persons. Morocco is one of the five Arab countries in which 70 percent of the some 70 million illiterate adults in the Arab world are concentrated. In rural areas and for female gender the problem is even worse; three quarters of women were considered to be illiterate in 2004.[14]
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Four years ago, the Discovery Global Education Partnership (DCGEP) Learning Center project, funded by The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation (TCCAF), began in Morocco, with five primary schools each in Casablanca and Rabat. Since then, the project has grown to include 20 schools, and last week, the Learning Center celebrated success with TCCAF and DCGEP formally handing over the Learning Center project to the Regional Academy of Education and Training of Greater Casablanca.
Since its launch in 2009, the Learning Center initiative has reached approximately 20,000 students and more than 420 teachers. Over the years, the initiative has funded the installation of televisions and DVD players, extensive teacher training on the use of video to complement curricular objectives and a comprehensive DCGEP educational video library with more than 260 segments mapped to Morroco’s school curriculum. The program has delivered exceptional results. An independent project evaluation in Morocco showed improvements in teacher performance and student ability and understanding of core subjects as well as positive changes in teacher’s creativity, teaching style and ability to hold the students’ interest. Furthermore, through community outreach and parent-teacher associations, the centers have been able to address specific community needs, such as health campaigns and outreach to students with learning disabilities, ensuring improvements extend beyond the classroom. The Learning Center in Morocco is part of a larger partnership between TCCAF and DCGEP that began in 2007 to improve educational opportunities for children and communities in nine countries through the school-based initiative. Thus far, more than 300 TCCAF-DCGEP Learning Centers have been established in Angola, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda, serving 417,670 students, more than 11,800 teachers and an estimated 1.2 million community members. |
Established in AD 788, the holy city of Moulay Idriss is named after the country's most venerated saint, and the Prophet Mohammed's great-great grandson, who founded the first Moroccan state. The city is built upon the rocky spurs of the Khiber and Tazga hills, with the buildings tumbling down the slopes dramatically. For the faithful, this is an important pilgrimage centre and a mouseem (religious festival) annually in August attracts thousands who pitch their tents around the town.
Although non-Muslims cannot enter the shrines of the town, you can wander up through the Medina (old town) to the hillside paths above and get amazing rooftop views of the entire settlement. Moulay Idriss can easily be visited either on the way to or from Volubilis. Location: 27 km from Meknes |