Morocco has achieved nearly universal access to education in the last decade, with net enrollment rates in grade one surpassing 97 percent. However, this seemingly positive statistic hides many challenges that students face in achieving long-term academic success, particularly in terms of early grade reading performance. In 2015, seven out of ten first grade students in Morocco could not read at grade level. A recent study identified insufficient teacher training and the absence of supplementary reading materials as two of the main factors that prevent students from becoming successful, independent readers.

USAID Response

In 2015, USAID partnered with the Ministry of National Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education and Scientific Research to launch the 30-month Reading for Success – Small-Scale Experimentation activity to develop and test the most effective approaches to strengthen students’ Arabic reading skills in targeted primary schools. With the positive results from the pilot phase, and building on the data, evidence, and lessons learned, the Ministry of Education decided to implement this approach in grades one through four in all public elementary schools nationwide.