**Moroccan Education Minister Sparks Controversy Over “Golf Memo”**
A memo issued by Moroccan Education Minister Chakib Benmoussa, urging regional education academy directors to encourage students to practice golf, has sparked widespread reactions among parents and education stakeholders in the country.
This memo has come at a time when parents are struggling with the rising costs of school supplies and the education sector is grappling with numerous challenges that threaten a difficult school year, especially with ongoing debates about many teachers choosing to participate in the national census rather than teach.
**What Are the Details?**
In the memo, the minister stated that “encouraging students to practice golf is part of the 2022-2026 roadmap, particularly in its component aimed at promoting school sports.”
He justified including golf in school sports by emphasizing “the importance of school sports as a fundamental component of the educational and sports system, and as part of supporting and encouraging sports practice and diversifying sports offerings in educational institutions.”
The minister also argued that “students practicing golf will enhance the dynamism of school sports activities.”
He based his reasoning on the success of the National School Golf Championship during the 2023-2024 school year, which saw the participation of over 100 students in preparation for the World School Golf Championship that Morocco will host in 2025, 2026, and 2028.
**A “Rich People’s Sport”**
In response to the memo, activists on social media stressed that students need improved curricula and efforts to combat school dropout rates rather than being encouraged to participate in a sport that lacks the necessary conditions for practice in schools.
They also pointed out that the climate conditions in Morocco, especially after years of drought, make it even more difficult to provide golf courses, which require irrigation.
Some sarcastically commented that “the memo’s true intention is to encourage students to collect golf balls for the wealthy on golf courses.”
Others questioned whether the minister was referring to “the same social group that studies in Moroccan public schools or whether he was talking about students from another country,” suggesting that “when the rich get bored, they seek out the poor to amuse themselves.”
Some also highlighted the lack of green spaces in cities, particularly given the ongoing water scarcity.
Activists even called on the Minister of Education to issue a memo encouraging teachers to practice “yoga” to relieve work-related stress and pressures.
By/radwa sherif ✏️✏️📚