Adam Ziad New Published Article

PhD Candidate Adam Ziad, co-authored a journal article published in the journal of Languages. To read more about the article see the information below. 

Title: Paradoxes of Language Policy in Morocco: Deconstructing the Ideology of Language Alternation and the Resurgence of French in STEM Instruction

About the paper: This paper critically analyzes Morocco's recent language-in-education policy, which reinstates French, the ex-colonial language as the medium of instruction and highlights the gap between its official discourse and its actual implementation. While presented as a reform to promote balanced multilingualism, LAP has instead reinforced the dominance of French in STEM instruction. The study situates this contradiction within broader political and economic dynamics, arguing that language-in-education policies in postcolonial contexts often serve hidden agendas, with France maintaining indirect influence over Morocco’s educational system.

Officially, the LAP aimed to foster multilingualism, improve educational quality, and ensure equal opportunities by diversifying the medium of instruction across disciplines. It was presented as a gradual and balanced reform designed to prevent any single language from dominating and to strengthen the status of Morocco’s national languages.

In practice, however, the policy has led to the near-exclusive use of French in science and mathematics, displacing Arabic and marginalizing Amazigh. This shift undermines decades of Arabization efforts, reduces the instructional presence of national languages, and deepens inequalities, as success remains tied to French proficiency—a resource unequally distributed in Moroccan society.

The persistence of French is tied to neocolonial dynamics, including France’s use of Francophonie, clientelism, and financial patronage to preserve its cultural and linguistic hegemony. Moroccan elites trained in France, particularly in education policy, play a central role in sustaining this influence, using language policy as a tool to protect their socioeconomic privilege. France’s financial and technical support for educational reform further secures French as the language of science and prestige.

In sum, Morocco’s LAP officially promises multilingualism and equity but in practice produces a de facto policy of Francization. This outcome reflects France’s enduring neocolonial power and the interests of the Moroccan francophone elite, reinforcing inequalities and undermining national language promotion and decolonization efforts.

To read the article, click here: Article