King Fahd Translation School in Tangier Rectifies Tamazight Language Classification Blunder

In a recent development that stirred controversy across Morocco, the King Fahd Higher School of Translation in Tangier has issued a formal apology for mistakenly classifying Tamazight, one of Morocco's official languages, as a "foreign" language on its student application website.

The prestigious institution found itself at the center of a linguistic storm when it announced a three-phase testing process for candidates, which included a translation exam from Arabic into several languages. The list of languages, described as "foreign," included French, English, Spanish, German, and surprisingly, Tamazight.

This classification quickly drew sharp criticism from various quarters, with many Moroccans decrying it as a "blatant violation of the constitution." The Moroccan constitution explicitly recognizes Tamazight as an official language alongside Arabic, underlining its significance in the nation's cultural and linguistic landscape.

Responding swiftly to the backlash, the school released a statement addressing the error. "We sincerely apologize to all Moroccans for this unintentional mistake," the statement read. The institution assured the public that the issue had been promptly rectified, stating, "The document has been published correctly across all platforms."

In an effort to reaffirm its commitment to the Amazigh language and culture, the school announced plans to formalize the official status of Tamazight within its academic framework. This includes incorporating the language into the school's training presentation and establishing a new translation program dedicated to Tamazight.

The controversy unfolds against the backdrop of broader efforts by the Moroccan government to expand Tamazight education across the country. The Ministry of Education recently unveiled ambitious plans for the upcoming 2024-2025 academic year, with a significant focus on enhancing both English and Amazigh language education.

As part of this initiative, the ministry aims to increase the number of educational institutions offering Amazigh language courses substantially. The goal is to achieve a 50% coverage rate by the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year. To facilitate this expansion, the ministry plans to recruit 600 specialized professors for Amazigh language instruction and annually train at least 2,000 dual-discipline teachers.

This incident at the King Fahd Higher School of Translation serves as a reminder of the ongoing challenges in fully integrating Tamazight into Morocco's educational and institutional frameworks. It also highlights the sensitivity surrounding language issues in a country proud of its rich linguistic heritage.

As Morocco continues to navigate its multilingual identity, incidents like these underscore the importance of vigilance and respect for all official languages. The swift response and corrective measures taken by the translation school demonstrate a growing awareness of these sensitivities and a commitment to upholding the constitutional status of Tamazight.