Evaluation is one of the fundamental pillars of the reform of the education, training and scientific research system in the Kingdom of Morocco. It constitutes a central mechanism for supporting good governance and reinforcing the principles of responsibility and accountability, as provided for in the Moroccan Constitution and upheld by the constitutional missions of the Higher Council for Education, Training and Scientific Research.
Evaluation refers to all methodical and scientific procedures aimed at diagnosing the situation of the education, training and scientific research system, analysing its internal and external performance, and identifying its strengths and weaknesses, in order to support the relevant public policies and programmes and improve their effectiveness and efficiency. Evaluation is not an end in itself, but a strategic means to support evidence-based public decision-making and to enhance the quality of the system and the sustainability of its reform.
Functions and Roles of Evaluation
In accordance with the requirements of participatory democracy and the principles of transparency and good governance, evaluation plays several roles, the most important of which are as follows:
- Informing society, with full transparency and objectivity, about the situation of schools and universities, and more generally about the education, training and scientific research system, as well as the methods adopted for managing and investing resources;
- Contributing to the improvement of public action through the evaluation of public policies and programmes in the field of education and the analysis of their impact;
- Providing data and indicators on the performance of the education system, in order to support collective reflection and public debate on educational issues;
- Monitoring the various stages of the functioning of the education, training and scientific research system, from diagnosis to follow-up and evaluation.
Evaluation also informs a range of stakeholders about the state of the system, including:
- The State and its institutions;
- The Higher Council for Education, Training and Scientific Research;
- Educational actors, including teachers, staff and administrators;
- Families;
- Civil society;
- Local authorities;
- Economic stakeholders and businesses;
- International organisations;
- The media.
- In this context, evaluation contributes to improving the education system as a formative and evolving process, rather than as a punitive measure.