Spain and Morocco agree on the creation of bilingual sections in secondary schools in the Maghreb country

During her speech at the plenary session of the 12th High-Level Meeting, chaired in Rabat by the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the head of the Moroccan Government, Aziz Akhannouch, Minister Pilar Alegría pointed out that "education has historically played an important role in relations between Morocco and Spain". "We have the will to move forward and strengthen" this cooperation and "we have identified specific areas for action", he added.

In the field of education, the two countries have agreed "to establish Spanish sections in secondary schools in Morocco, so that the students who enrol in them will learn the Spanish language and culture and be able to continue their higher education in Spain". Students will thus obtain a double degree that will enable them to access universities in both countries.

In the field of vocational training, work will be done to encourage activities for the exchange of good educational and training practices for workers, the promotion of student and teacher mobility, and the dissemination of procedures for the accreditation and validation of professional experience.

"The promotion and modernisation of Vocational Training is one of the strategic projects of the Spanish Government, and international cooperation is part of the qualities that this new model must have for a training that will be important for the transformation of our economies", Alegría pointed out.

The minister took the opportunity to express her satisfaction at the start of work on the new Spanish School in Rabat, "destined to become a reference point for Spain's educational activities abroad". The new centre, which will take about 3 years to complete, will be the new site of the current one and will have a capacity for almost a thousand students at all educational stages.

With these initiatives, Spain is strengthening its educational presence in Morocco, a country that already has the largest number of Spanish-owned schools abroad. In total, 11 of the 18 centres managed by the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training's Acción Educativa en el Exterior report to the Consejería de Educación of the Spanish Embassy in Morocco. Among them is the Juan de la Cierva Institute in Tetuan, the only Spanish vocational training centre abroad.

"This High Level Meeting will be a milestone in the educational relations between Morocco and Spain. And by working together to strengthen and expand education and culture, we will at the same time strengthen the spirit of trust and cooperation between our countries," concluded Alegría.

Non official translation