The national education budget is increasing by 4.7 billion dirhams year on year. Of that amount, 4.57 billion dirhams will go toward payroll, accounting for almost the entire increase.
According to the presentation note, the rise is mainly linked to revisions to the special employment status of ministry staff and measures to improve their administrative and compensation conditions. The government sees these changes as a way to make education careers more attractive and improve staff working conditions.
The document reviews results from the 2025-2026 school year, which it describes as the first measurable outcomes of the roadmap. Preschool enrollment coverage reached 82.3%. This progress has been supported by the training of more than 24,000 preschool educators, each of whom received 950 hours of initial training, and an evaluation of 10,000 public preschool units.
The network of pioneer schools now includes 4,628 institutions serving two million pupils and 75,000 teachers. It also includes 786 pioneer middle schools, covering 705,000 pupils.
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On inclusion, 78,221 pupils who had never enrolled in school or had dropped out returned to education. They included 30,506 girls and 32,071 pupils in rural areas. The Second Chance School program serves 23,000 learners across 255 centers. The document also records 72,072 pupils with disabilities registered under unique identifiers in the Massar information system, as well as more than 1.17 million pupils who received school health consultations.
School sports programs have enrolled 9,191 pupils in sports-study tracks, including 3,105 girls. According to the note, the number of girls in these programs has increased 34-fold since 2019.
For the 2026-2027 school year, the target is to raise preschool enrollment to 90%, toward the royal objective of universal coverage by 2028. The 2027 Finance Bill allocates 2.825 billion dirhams in operating funds and 600 million dirhams in investment to the program. Expanding access will involve building new classrooms, making better use of under-enrolled classes and available space in existing schools, and introducing solutions suited to rural and sparsely populated areas.
The document identifies improving quality as the key challenge in the next phase of preschool expansion. Starting in the 2027-2028 school year, a unified national teaching model is due to take effect. It will be based on a national framework defining the learning outcomes expected of children aged four and five, covering language, early numeracy, motor skills, independence, social interaction and attention. A unified teaching guide will also set out classroom activities, learning materials and minimum resource requirements.
The government also plans to introduce common standards for class sizes, facilities and equipment, along with regular assessments. These assessments will go beyond counting pupils and newly created classrooms to measure children’s learning outcomes and readiness for primary school. A digital record linked to Massar will track each child’s progress into the first years of primary education.
Pioneer Schools: Nationwide Primary Coverage Targeted for 2027-2028
For the 2026-2027 school year, the network is expected to expand to around 6,753 pioneer primary schools, covering 80% of the target, and 1,358 pioneer middle schools, covering 56%. By the start of the 2027-2028 school year, the government aims to extend the model to all primary schools and reach 75% coverage of middle schools.
Priorities differ by level. In primary education, the focus is on mastering basic skills, supported by national learning benchmarks for each grade and lighter curricula. At middle school level, the emphasis is on preventing dropout, improving guidance and creating pathways into vocational training. In secondary education, the plan calls for more varied academic tracks, stronger language and digital skills, including the responsible use of artificial intelligence, and assessment methods that place greater emphasis on understanding and problem-solving.
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Cross-cutting measures include making a permanent curriculum renewal commission operational, developing an assessment framework covering all six years of primary school and five core subjects, and establishing a question bank. The Integrated School Project (PEI) will serve as a management tool, alongside a gradual increase in school autonomy.
The inclusion strategy has two components. The first focuses on prevention and early identification of pupils at risk of dropping out. By the start of the 2027-2028 school year at the latest, data sharing between Massar and the information systems used for social assistance and protection is to be strengthened, particularly for school transport, meals and boarding facilities.
The second component targets young people who have already left school. The document calls for a major expansion of the Second Chance School program, offering routes back into formal education, vocational training or apprenticeships. Each provincial education directorate is expected to establish a network linking middle schools, vocational training institutions, associations and businesses.
For pupils with disabilities, the 2027 Finance Bill provides for accessibility upgrades at 1,000 schools, the adaptation of 1,000 toilet blocks and equipment for 200 resource rooms. The school network is also expected to grow by around 200 institutions annually, based on locally tailored planning.
Rural areas
Social support for schooling in rural areas will be organized under a framework agreement clarifying the responsibilities of the different stakeholders. Beneficiary selection will follow a national framework that considers the distance between home and school, travel time and, for free services, eligibility under the Unified Social Register (RSU).
The document provides for integrating beneficiaries of Dar Talib and Dar Taliba student accommodation centers into the school meals system, using the existing scholarship eligibility criteria. School transport is expected to serve 730,000 beneficiaries by the start of the 2027-2028 school year.
Digital transformation will be driven by the Digital Lab, designed as an experimentation framework, and the RIHLA application. In primary schools, access to the app is to be gradually expanded, with interactive exercises in mathematics, Arabic and French. A version adapted for middle school will focus on mathematics, languages and science. At secondary level, the plan envisages a digital learning environment with digital laboratories and exam preparation tools.
For teacher professionalization, the Finance Bill provides for initial and continuing training, recruitment and placement based on staffing needs, and close pedagogical support. The Education Bachelor’s Degree program (CLE) is to be strengthened as a route into teaching, with more alternation between academic coursework and practical training in schools.
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At university level, the document identifies several structural challenges: rising student numbers, pressure on admissions capacity and infrastructure, and a mismatch between some degree programs and labor market needs. It argues that the current challenges stem less from access or funding than from the need to transform the education model itself. Universities currently receive 66% of new students entering higher education after the baccalaureate, and the government aims to rebalance enrollment toward technical, vocational and applied programs.
The section on higher education does not specify an overall budget allocation for universities.
49 new institutions
Decrees No. 2-25-561 and No. 2-26-486 increase the number of university institutions from 162 to 211. The 49 new institutions are divided into three categories:
- 31 institutions created by splitting multidisciplinary faculties, including in Al Hoceima, Nador, Safi, Fez, Tetouan, Tangier, Marrakech and Kelaa des Sraghna.
- 15 specialized institutions, including the National Institute of Digital Technology and Artificial Intelligence in Settat, the Rabat Business School, the Institute of Sports Professions in Agadir, the Faculty of Social Sciences in Berkane, and the National Schools of Advanced Technologies in Laayoune and Dakhla.
- Two faculties of medicine, pharmacy and dentistry, in Settat and Kenitra, and a faculty of dentistry in Agadir, alongside a dentistry program in Oujda.
The expansion of medical education is expected to add more than 6,000 places. It supports the national target of 45 healthcare professionals per 10,000 inhabitants by 2030.
The presentation note also announces the launch of the 2025-2028 National Program to Support Research, Development and Innovation (PNARDI), with a budget of one billion dirhams over four years. The program received 1,252 project applications, of which 909 were deemed eligible. A separate program for 3,000 doctoral students serving as teaching assistants for tutorials and practical classes has an annual budget of 252 million dirhams.
The number of students receiving scholarships rose from 411,384 in 2024-2025 to 430,140 in 2025-2026, an increase of 4.6%. The note records 56,226 beds across 25 university residences and approximately 12.68 million meals served in university dining halls.
In its section on priorities, the document estimates existing student accommodation capacity at 130,000 beds, including around 60,000 in the public sector. It puts the shortfall at nearly 400,000 beds compared with potential demand. The government plans to mobilize private investment and public-private partnerships while keeping state spending under control.
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Projects selected through a call for expressions of interest are expected to add 11,000 beds. Four university residences are scheduled for completion in 2027: Fez, with 1,200 beds; Mohammedia, with 1,354; Agadir Tilila, with 1,440; and Al Hoceima, with 1,432. Residences in Beni Mellal, Safi and Taroudant, each with 1,500 beds, are scheduled for 2028.
The government presents the 2027 Finance Bill as a consolidation phase following the end of the 2022-2026 Roadmap. In school education, payroll accounts for 4.57 billion of the 4.7 billion-dirham budget increase. Several commitments are set for the 2027-2028 school year: extending pioneer schools to all primary schools, reaching 75% coverage of middle schools, introducing the unified preschool teaching model and providing school transport to 730,000 beneficiaries. At university level, implementation of Law No. 59-24 will include 49 additional institutions, while public-private partnerships are expected to help address a student accommodation shortfall of nearly 400,000 beds.
