Only three out of every 100 Moroccan students who complete compulsory secondary education graduate from university.

PalmOnly 3% of Moroccan students who complete compulsory secondary education (ESO) in the Balearic Islands go on to university studies. This is one of the findings of the study. School enrollment and school dropout rates of the Moroccan population residing in the Balearic Islands The report, presented this Tuesday, was authored by anthropologist Alexandre Miquel, psychologist and sociologist José Luis Reina, and Mustafa Boulharrak, president of the Balearic Association of Moroccans. The Council for the Moroccan Community Abroad, chaired by Driss El Yazami, also collaborated on the study. Despite a 95% increase in Moroccan primary school students (from 1,730 to 3,373) between 2010 and 2023, the increase in secondary school students was only 21% (from 1,357 to 1,640), primarily due to economic reasons, especially during the pandemic and subsequent years. The increase in students in intermediate-level vocational training has been 169% (from 94 enrolled in 2010 to 253 in 2023), while the increase rate in higher-level vocational training has been 653%, a percentage that is explained by the lower presence of Moroccan students at this educational stage: in 2010 there were 128.

On the other hand, Moroccan students have been gradually enrolling in upper secondary education, but the numbers are still low: from 72 enrolled in 2010 to 149 in 2023 (a 107% increase). And, with regard to university studies, the presence of students of Moroccan origin is negligible: of the 33,263 enrolled between 2010 and 2021, only 138 were Moroccan (0.42% of the total). Regarding the reasons for the early abandonment of studies by young Moroccans, the report emphasizes that racist and xenophobic attitudes have worsened, and that there is a bias in the system that directs them towards vocational training, an option perceived as demeaning. Furthermore, many families focus on improving their economic situation and living conditions, and many young people who should be contributing are unable to continue their studies. "It's a class issue. The primary goal of the people who come here is to work, and their children start working as soon as they can to contribute to the family income," José Luis Reina pointed out. The authors also highlight the shortcomings of the education system and teacher training in addressing diversity.

"There is some concern among the student population. In addition to the unease caused by the lack of guidance, there is the issue of coexistence, and the increase in exclusion and racism due to far-right propaganda in recent years. Furthermore, the lack of parental involvement needs to be addressed," explained Driss El Yazami, noting that most of the students of Moroccan origin were born in the Balearic Islands. Along the same lines, El Yazami emphasized that "Moroccan students are also Spanish." "They have the right to equality like any other Spanish student," he continued. Yazami also considered that the report's figures can be extrapolated to the situation in the rest of Spain. "The reasons analyzed are clear. We need a genuine mobilization of all parties involved to respond to this problem," he added, referring to "families, schools, political actors, countries of origin and host countries, and other institutions."

On the other hand, Alexandre Miquel emphasized that the job market in a society like the Balearic Islands, "where everything is centered on the service sector," does not demand higher education. This contradicts the fact that "non-EU immigration is increasingly subject to more restrictive legislation." He also pointed out that there is "a problem with the distribution of students" among educational centers. "We find a concentration in certain centers, and a 'ghettoization' effect occurs. And we're talking about people who were born in Mallorca," he noted.