Language Policy in Morocco: Implications of Recognizing and Teaching Berber

Language policy in Morocco is a mechanism wherebythe state has tried to manage social and politicalconflict. The current language policy thatrecognizes Berber and calls for its mandatoryinclusion in the Moroccan system of education is thelatest apparatus adopted by the state in dealing withthe Berber question in Morocco. Far from its beingsimply a linguistic problem, the Berber question isabove all a political movement that usesethno-linguistic pleas as a platform for demandingjustice and equal opportunities for its marginalizedpeople. Several activists and observers havequestioned the sincerity of this venture; others havegone as far as to suggest that this language policyis nothing but a political weapon used by the stateto counter the rise of Islamism in Morocco. Thequestion is whether the Moroccan state will indeedsucceed in implementing this new language policyafter decades of pursing a language policy ofArabization that shortchanged the Moroccan poor whoneeded higher French proficiency to be able to beable to compete in the job market and contributed tothe marginalization of Berber.