All those languages

With my guiding question evolved to:

How does religion, culture and language affect the school system and science education?

... I need to expand on those languages! Upon return from Morocco, one of the key things I speak of is my amazement as to how many languages Moroccans can speak - and so fluidly! Some people I met knew FIVE languages. Here is how:

1. Tamazigh - This is the language native to Morocco (pre-arabic). Commonly known as "berber", Tamazigh is the correct term. In fact early in the trip, we learned that "berber" comes from the word barbarian... so we should rightfully stick to it's actual name of Tamazigh. Some people learn this language as their first tongue in their home.

2. "Moroccan" Arabic (Darija) - In order to get by in day to day life on the streets and in the stores, all Moroccans learn this spoken language.

3. Standard Arabic - once student start kindergarten, they learn standard Arabic.

4. French - Students learn French starting in 3rd grade.

5. English - Students learn English starting in 9th grade.

That's FIVE. WOW! That's all I could think. How do they keep track of all of these languages in their head and can switch between them with no problem whatsoever. Some Moroccans strive to learn even more. I think it is such an ingrained part of the culture. As I have mentioned before, Moroccans ability to memorize tends to be very good. Perhaps it is from Quaranic school, where they memorized verses as very small children and this developed their skills. Or perhaps it is just the immersion of all of the languages in the country simultaneous.

The Parlement building in Rabat with Arabic and Tamazigh writing.

Regardless, it is IMPRESSIVE! As impressive as it is, it does come with some downfalls.

1. Can one really master 5 languages before the age of 18? They may know and be proficient in all 5, but are only fluent in one or two. Which language they are fluent in can determine their future education.

2. School is taught in French or Arabic. This is dependent on the school, subject, the teacher. It is not standardized from one school to another, so students can get very different experiences. Once they enter their first baccalaureate year, students choose a path and in which language they want to take that path. For example, students can choose to study Physics & Chemistry. THEN, they choose whether they want to study it in Arabic or French. Arabic is traditionally easier for them because this is the language most grew up with. But University entrance exams are in French. So if a student is very gifted in science, but isn't good at languages, they may score poorly on the University entrance exam just due to the language barrier. Knowing many languages is definitely an amazing thing! But, the education system is built around two very specific languages which can hinder some students.

The path of high school students. "Common Course" is year one. Then 1st and 2nd year baccalaureate before graduation.