The recent organization of professional competency exams for teachers has sparked a heated debate, highlighting concerns about equal opportunities among teachers of different specializations and perceived « injustices » due to the lack of specific quotas for each subject.
This debate was reignited by a written question from MP Hassan Oumribet, a member of the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS), addressed to the Minister of National Education, Chakib Benmoussa. The MP questioned the minister on the measures his ministry plans to take to « rectify this inequitable situation and increase the number of successful candidates in certain specializations in the professional competency exams. »
Oumribet stated that « the injustice suffered by some teachers of specific subjects during the written professional competency exams, which aim to enhance their career and social status, is confirmed year after year. » He stressed that « the nature of the exams does not consider the specificities of each specialization, » pointing out that these exams « do not sufficiently account for differences among candidates in terms of academic background and analytical and critical skills. »
The MP also advocated for the establishment of specific quotas for each subject, arguing that this would ensure true equal opportunities among teachers, given that professional competency exams vary by specialization.
He criticized the current practice of ranking all candidates regardless of their specialization, an approach that, according to him, « does not guarantee equality and does not clearly assess the efforts of teachers to improve the educational system. »
Illustrating what he sees as an « injustice, » Oumribet explained that passing the exam requires a deep mastery of various skills, including linguistic and literary skills, as well as social science theories such as psychology, philosophy, and education sciences, in addition to high qualifications in the practical aspect of teaching.
He added that « while the professional aspect develops mainly through teaching experience, other aspects show significant disparities among candidates due to differences in their academic and professional backgrounds. »
Echoing these criticisms, a member of the national office of the National Education Union – democratic trend, also criticized the current format of the professional competency exams. that it « raises the issue of unequal opportunities among different specializations, » adding that « success rates in certain disciplines have been almost nil for several years, while teachers of some other specialties have much higher success rates. »
This union official also noted that « sometimes, teachers taking the professional competency exams are tested on subjects unrelated to their specialty, » illustrating this problem with the example of « the lack of consideration, in professional exams, for the differences between specializations and the levels of each year within the same educational cycle. »
