Today we participated in a panel discussion at Mohammed V of Rabat University - Navigating Cultural and Educational Intersections.
We started our visit to the university with a tour of campus. I quickly learned that Aalia, one of our guides, was an F1 racing fan too. We discussed the results of Sunday's race in Bahrain, which I was able to watch in real time - a first!
The first presentation during the panel discussion was "Effects and Benefits of Learning English as a Foreign Language on the Native Culture" presented by Abdellah Eddiba and Mouad Brigui. Abdellah quoted the prophet Mohammed, "To have another language is to possess another soul." My "take away" from his presentation - it is important to have a common language in Morocco and you can truly learn about a culture by learning the language of that culture.
Our second presentation was titled "The Role of Cultural Studies in Demystifying Misconceptions and Myths" presented by Keltoum Biglimine and Imane Brigui. Keltoum and Imane surveyed university students about their misconceptions and stereotypes of Americans. It was nice to see that the students had some favorable impressions of the United States - we value a strong work ethic, we are excepting of different races and cultures, we are independent thinkers. There were a few unfortunate stereotypes too - we are a violent culture. Hopefully we were able to dispel the idea that American isn't a safe place to visit.
In the afternoon, we have a wonderful visit to Complex School Khalil Abdelhafid (CSKA) in Sale. CSKA is a private, non-religious school serving primary, middle and high school students.
This picture and the picture above were taken in an English classroom. It was so evident that these high school students loved their English teacher! The young woman here was brave enough to read a poem she had written in English for some of us. It was about love and heartbreak, and I'm sure my students could relate!
After the tour, our conversations with teachers turned to educational freedoms and what can be taught in Morocco. The curriculum for the entire country is determined by the Ministry of Education. One of the teachers was open enough to say that questioning the government and history is not allowed. It is sad to see that some states in the US are attempting the same restrictions on education.
I finished my day with a conversation with a female English teacher. We asked her is she felt women were valued in Morocco. Her initial answer was "no". She then qualified / explained. Woman can now divorce and are allowed to keep their children after a divorce. Girls are educated in Morocco and have higher graduation rates than boys. Morocco is much more progressive than other Islamic countries but there is much work to do. It was nice to have an honest conversation about the treatment of woman in Morocco.