Schoolbook supply crisis and market imbalances put Morocco’s education minister under scrutiny

Morocco’s recurring schoolbook shortages have returned to Parliament as the new academic year approaches. Nadia Tahami, a parliamentary lawmaker, has asked the education minister to explain how the government will prevent supply disruptions from affecting the start of classes.

The complaints concern irregular distribution and the scarcity of some titles, particularly books and materials intended for institutions participating in the “pioneer schools” program. Tahami said the problem goes beyond temporary logistical difficulties. In her view, repeated problems with supply and availability at the start of each school year point to deeper weaknesses in how the textbook market operates.

Her written question brings back a Competition Council opinion on competition in Morocco’s schoolbook market, issued under reference R/2/23. The opinion examined the market and identified structural and competitive imbalances. Tahami said the council found a high degree of concentration, with a limited number of publishing houses and approved publishers dominating the sector over many years.

The council recommended giving the state responsibility for producing textbooks for primary and secondary education. It also proposed a unified educational system, with the state responsible for preparing the books and holding their intellectual-property rights. Another recommendation called for a review of the economic model underpinning the schoolbook market.

Tahami said those recommendations have not produced a clear change in the sector’s management. She urged the minister to disclose the practical steps planned to stabilize textbook supplies, address market distortions and clarify how the government has responded to the council’s concerns about concentration, monopoly-like conditions and the sector’s economic structure.