Distance learning in the wake of COVID-19 in Morocco

The integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) has been one of the priorities of the Moroccan education system that date back to pre-COVID-19 period. Since 1999, the National Charter for Education and Training has accorded great importance to distance education (DE) and learning. Several programmes and initiatives (such as GENIE, NAFIDA, Telmidtice, Lycée Attahadi, …) were launched and funded by the government to promote the use of ICT in schools. With the outbreak of COVID-19, the shift to distance education was mandated to ensure pedagogical continuity. In the current study, a mixed-method research approach was used to assess the extent to which the adoption of distance learning in public educational institutions can ensure pedagogical continuity in Morocco during the outbreak period started from April to June 2020. The Analysis of the data collected from the quantitative study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic, DE was used occasionally due to the lack of technological equipment or knowledge and expertise to use it. During the COVID-19 crisis, ¹teachers resorted to self-training and used available social media tools to support learners by sharing various resources with them. In addition, the data collected from the participatory observation of two virtual classes on the «Zoom» and «Teams » platforms showed that the use of videoconferencing in Morocco contributed, even partially, to solving the problem of pedagogical continuity. The experience of lessons broadcast in synchronous mode showed promising results at the technical level in terms of student participation and interactivity, resource sharing and transfer and a favorable classroom climate. However, there is still a lot of work to be done at the pedagogical and didactic level to better exploit the potential of this technology. On the other hand, the Ministry of Education is expected to make a huge effort to guarantee equal access to technology and the internet in order to ensure equitable education, especially in rural areas.