Morocco’s Ministry of Education has decided to cancel local exams for sixth and ninth graders. The decision seeks to ensure safety of students and teachers from Covid-19.
The decision is due to the country’s COVD-19 epidemiological situation, the ministry said. The ministry, which announced the move earlier today, noted the decision seeks to ensure the safety of students and teachers.
The final exams were expected to take place in the third week of January.
Minister of Education Saaid Amzazi said earlier this month that the education and health ministries had identified a total of 13,619 cases of COVID-19 among students, teachers, technical, and administrative personnel in Morocco.
Amzazi said at the time that the infection rate did not exceed 0.06% among students and 3% among educational, administrative, and technical staff.
But with a pronounced increase in COVID-19 figures in recent weeks, the number of schools closed since the start of the academic year reached 468, including 107 private schools that host 270,000 students.
In March, Morocco suspended schools after the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country, adopting remote education methods in the 2019-2020 school season.
The country also adjourned some of the final exams, which took place later than their regular schedules.
Morocco encouraged remote learning for the 2020-2021 academic year but provided parents and students with in-person education options.
The country is still struggling to bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control. The Ministry of Health reports thousands of COVID-19 cases and dozens of deaths daily.
To date, Morocco’s health authorities have confirmed 437,332 COVID-19 cases, 7,355 deaths, and 405,251 recoveries.
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