Mapping the different conceptions of citizenship education in Morocco: the complex interplay of theory and practice from teachers and policymakers perspectives

Today’s globalized world has made clear that the health and stability of a modern democracy depends, not only on the justice of its ‘basic structure’ and both legal rights and obligations, but also on the values and attitudes of its citizens: e.g., their sense of identity, and how they view potentially competing forms of national, regional, ethnic or religious identities; their ability to tolerate and work together with others who are different from themselves; their desire to participate in the political process in order to promote the public good and hold political authorities accountable; their willingness to show self-restraint and exercise personal responsibility in their economic demands, and in personal choices which affect their health and the environment. This article highlights the policymakers and teachers’ understanding of citizenship in Morocco especially in terms of structures, curricular goals and implementation. It also aims to explore the current status of citizenship education in Moroccan schools, to identify the extent to which these beliefs, perceptions, and understandings are manifested in the classroom and influence the students’ views and attitudes in real life, and to address the challenges teachers face and the teaching methods they use. The research embodied qualitative data gathered via interviews with six (6) teachers from one private school (Lamzibri) and four (4) from one public (Lala Aisha) school, both located in the capital city Rabat, Morocco. The teacher population for the study was defined as teachers teaching social studies, Arabic language, life and earth science and English language school subject to the students in secondary schools. In addition, interviews carried out with three (3) policymakers, who are members of the ministerial committee assigned to draft the national curriculum and instructional materials for the Arabic language within the framework of the National Program for Reading activity under the new vision 2030 reform. The study drew on content analysis and inductive analysis through the development of matrixes and models. The findings focused on three themes related to: citizenship as belonging and loyalty; citizenship content and the focus on performance.