Moroccans demand that English replace French as the country’s first foreign language

Moroccans have taken to social media to demand that English replace French as the country’s first official foreign language.

Using a hashtag – which translates to #YesToEnglishInsteadOfFrenchInMorocco – Moroccans argued that French is outdated, limited in its influence and is the language of the “colonizer”.

A campaign has started for English to take its place as Morocco’s second language due to its wider reach and use in science.

“Even the French recognize the importance of English, so why not move on?” Twitter user @Tarikilla said.

AJI, an educational page on Facebook with the stated goal of simplifying sociology, said in a statement that “English is the path to success in all fields because it is a scientific language and most people in the field. people speak it “.

لا توقفوا الهاشطاگ ان في الامر الشباب ا لم الانجليزية بوموازاة لغات التفريط لغاتنا الوطنية الأم و الأم ال # نعم_للإنجليزية_بدل_الفرنسية_بالمغرب https://t.co/cobHvlnYXX

– 🇲🇦Khalifa Anid🇲🇦 (@AnidKhalifa) September 19, 2021

Twitter user Khalifa Aneed also encourages Twitter users to continue using the hashtag “so that the matter can be reviewed”.

The use of English would also be less likely to endanger the use of other languages ​​in the country, Aneed calling on “young people to learn English in parallel with other languages, without compromising our national Arabic languages. and Amazigh “.

The ‘Kingdom of Morocco’ Facebook account, which describes itself as a media company, said that “fluency in the English language will open up indescribable doors and opportunities for Moroccan students.”

However, the account also said that French was important for enabling Moroccans to communicate with people from the West African nations of Senegal and Mali.

There was an outcry online last week when reports revealed that Islamic education had been removed from primary and secondary school exams under new procedures coming into effect this school year.

Morocco’s education ministry subsequently denied the allegations.

Following the recent elections in Morocco, the country’s political parties are expected to adopt a charter for “new development models” and “a new generation of reforms and projects” in the years to come, the king said recently.