Shakib Benmoussa, Minister of National Education, Primary Education, and Sports, announced new measures to improve the quality of school supplies as part of the implementation of the “One Million School Bags” royal initiative, noting that coordination has been established with the Ministry of the Interior to improve and refine the process of identifying beneficiaries of the initiative.
In his response to a parliamentary question, Benmoussa explained that the Ministry has sought to strengthen coordination with the Ministry of the Interior—particularly the National Humanitarian Initiative—to determine and verify the projected number of beneficiaries of the relevant programs and to mitigate the challenges facing implementation, starting with the upcoming 2022–2023 school year-2023, in accordance with the targeting process followed in the planning and implementation of the royal initiative “One Million Schoolbags.”
In response to a parliamentary question, the minister confirmed regarding “the quality of the contents of the ‘Million Schoolbags’ initiative,” that public procurement contracts were concluded early to avoid delays in the delivery and distribution of school supplies, noting that a new approach has been adopted since the 2020–2021 school year for the procurement of schoolbags.
Benmoussa explained that the Ministry of the Interior, through the National Initiative for Human Development, is concluding public procurement contracts at the national level, involving the trade and industry sector in the preparation of technical specifications, the inspection of samples and prototypes, and the acceptance process, noting that these contracts cover all needs and provide two sizes based on the students’ grade level (a small-sized backpack and a large-sized backpack, with colors varying by type).
The Minister of Education noted that the approach adopted for the targeting process does not take into account the socioeconomic status of families, as it benefits all elementary school students in both rural and urban areas, as well as all middle school students in rural areas.
The same source noted that this situation can be explained by the nature of the sector, which fulfills a social mission for the benefit of young children in the process of education and development, adding “Discrimination among them may be counterproductive and could lead to psychological issues that negatively impact their academic performance, contrary to the objectives of the royal initiative ‘One Million Schoolbags.’”
Benmoussa confirmed that, in accordance with the established targeting criteria, school kits—consisting of backpacks, books, notebooks, and school supplies—are provided to all elementary school students nationwide, as well as to all middle school students in rural areas only, depending on the contents of the school kit for each grade level.
He added that school bags are being purchased and distributed to all first-grade students in both rural and urban areas, as well as to third-grade students in rural areas only, and to first-year middle school students in rural areas as well. Coverage is nearly universal nationwide, though some disparities exist between regions, sometimes resulting from variations in partner contributions across regions and provinces.
Sheikh Al-Wali
