In a bid to widen Morocco’s international reach, the country has announced plans to launch an English-language news channel. The move came after growing interest in English as an international language in the country, where French is the unofficial second language.
Recently, Morocco’s Minister of Culture, Youth and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, revealed at a parliamentary session the significance of the new language plan, which will mean Moroccan state-owned channels adopt English and Spanish. According to him, this underscored the need to strengthen Morocco’s diplomacy on the global stage, signifying Morocco’s new foreign policy paradigm.
The minister further revealed that the state-run Al-Aoula channel is presently working on a project to broadcast news in English. These plans include detailed coverage of both domestic and international events happening within and beyond Morocco.
Bensaid remarked that the introduction of Spanish news broadcasting in Morocco almost 34 years ago has helped in the country’s appeal among Spanish-speaking tourists. It is expected that by extending this to English-speakers, Morocco will encounter additional growth in its tourism industry.
The development shows he pivot of Morocco towards the English language away from French, which is still spoken in the former French protectorate. Activists launched an online campaign in 2021 to replace “outdated” French with English in education. In 2022, the Ministry of Education disclosed that science subjects in both primary and middle schools would be taught in English instead of French.
A study commissioned by the British Council last year discovered that 40 percent of young Moroccans felt English was the most important language to learn, compared with just 10 percent that rooted for French. Also, respondents to the survey regarded English as being slightly more important to learn than Arabic, with 65 and 62 percent respectively feeling each language is either the most important or an important one to learn.
SUPPORT NIGERIAN CANADIAN NEWSPAPER CANADA
If you like our work and want to keep enjoying what we offer, kindly support us by donating to the Nigerian Canadian News by clicking here
Share your thoughts in the comments section below
Do you want to share any news or information with us? If yes, contact the publisher at publisher@test1.nascitest.club
