This photograph of a young girl was taken in the Draa Valley. On our tours (and particularly on biking trips) we are frequently mobbed by children who love visitors arriving in their villages. In some regions they are more cautious and shy than in others - this is normally directly related to how many foreign visitirs they get passing through their region. Although photographic representations of people are not prevalent in Islam - and indeed many people we encounter object to having their photographs taken - children are normally more than happy to have their pictures taken. This is particularly true given the playback facility on today's digital cameras. Now that they can see the end product they flock around the photographer.
Unfortunately the standard of education for Morocco's children is relatively poor. Recent UNESCO education statistics (2008) suggest that Morocco is alarmingly low down on the world league table. Although education in Morocco is theoretically compulsory, the reality in most rural areas is that not everyone attends. In mountain regions, girls are deemed too valuable around the home to send to school and for this reason attendance amongst girls is particularly low. Education standards are sure to improve over the coming years, under the forward-thinking King Mohammed VI, but the process is likely to be slow. Foreign NGO projects in rural areas and local associations are helping, but more assistance is required in the long term. In cities the standard of education tends to be better and attendence figures are far higher than in rural areas, however, parents complain about lack of learning materials, poor teaching methods and too much time away from school. For instance, in summer many schools have four months of holiday. A dream for a child but a nightmare for parents. Private schools exist in the larger cities like Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech, and here the standard of education is better. |
