A Moment With
A Moment With MAHA LAZIRI
By Carolyn Lee
“ I was always and I am still fascinated by how education can shape different life stories …” – Maha Laziri
Throughout her childhood , Maha Laziri was constantly surrounded by conversations on education . Being the daughter of educators provided her with valuable insight into just how important , and deeply complex the topic is .
Maha noted that while both of her parents were teachers , they experienced very different outcomes from their students . Her mother ’ s students had exceptions of success and her father ’ s , exceptions of failure .
Maha Laziri , President and Founder of Teach4Morocco .
While spending summer vacations trekking through the stunning Atlas Mountains , their engagement with the students in the villages that they crossed , ultimately led to a shift from trekking to tutoring .
A number of these students had been unsuccessful with their Grade 6 test . This hindered these students from progressing to Middle School . Maha also attended the classes that her parents taught and at the age of 14 , she was responsible for operating a book club and theatre workshop .
She had found her calling .
At the age of 18 , Maha made the decision to create a non-governmental organisation , Teach4Morocco , to focus on bringing education to the remote areas of Morocco .
Her diligent work and incredible work ethic have not gone unrecognised . Arabian Business Magazine included her among other distinguished Arabian women on their recently released Most Powerful Arab Women 2016 .
Maha shared with Teach Middle East Magazine the goals of Teach4Morocco and invites us to all join in helping to make a positive impact in educating young minds .
What important lesson have you learnt about the education sector from starting Teach4Morocco ?
I started Teach4Morocco when I was 18 years old . At that time , my understanding of the educational challenges in Morocco was very simplistic and so were my skills in this field . Through my undergraduate studies at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane , I learned the intricacies of the education sector and gained more understanding of how investments in quality education for all can shift the paths of nations . It was only after I joined the “ International Educational Development ” Masters at the University of Pennsylvania , that I understood the complexity of the education sector . From the power of the language in instruction , to teacher training and citizenship education ,
I learned that changing a system is not as easy as one might think . While “ educational reform ” became part of the everyday jargon , putting it into practice is a lot of hard work .
What are your thoughts on your own teachers ?
I was lucky to have had teachers and professors throughout my academic years , who shifted my thinking , challenged my preconceptions and encouraged hard work . I have a lot of appreciation for humanist teachers - teachers who perceive students as humans and not letter grades . I owe all of them a lot of respect and gratitude .
What motivated you to start Teach4Morocco ?
Teach4Morocco happened naturally , as a consequence of the friendships that we developed in the Atlas . After many visits , we started to share the problems of our friends across the central high Atlas Mountains . It is after all a commitment of a small group of family and friends believing that ensuring access to education for all is a pre-requisite for social justice . We are not going from village to village saying that education is the solution to all vices - absolutely not . We partner with local organisations that need support solving an educational issue . Some villages need new classrooms ; others need early childhood centers or teacher training for early childhood education . Some need summer camps for their children . The problems vary from village to village . We put our best skills forward in trying to solve one problem at a time .
What is a typical workday like for you ?
I am currently a full time mother . Teach4Morocco is not my full time job ; neither is it for any of our team members . It is our collective cause that brings us together . All of us are volunteers , and we do this on the side . We are a small organisation trying to do our best with the limited resources that we have . During the year , we focus on fundraising and look for local partners . Our projects generally take place in the summer .