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Implementing the program of smoking-free - June 5, 2017 Back to list

​On March 3, 2016, and in the presence of Mr. Abderrahmane MAAROUFI, Director of the Directorate of Epidemiology and Fighting against Diseases at the Ministry of Health and Mr. Youssef CHAMI, Representative of Lalla Salma Foundation against cancer, Mr. Youssef BELKASSMI, General Secretary of the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training chaired at the Center of Trainings and National Forums in Rabat the opening of the activities of the study day related to the implementation of the program of “smoking-free lower secondary and high schools” in the regional academies of education and training. This is a joint program between the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training and the Ministry of Health, and it is supported by Lalla Salma Foundation against cancer.


In his word, Mr. BELQASMI said that the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training and its partners adopted the program of “smoking-free lower secondary and high schools”, which was launched in 2007 in three regional academies and then gradually generalized to include all academies, in order to make students aware of the dangers of smoking and help those wishing to quit it by involving the educational and administrative staff. The Ministry also created health clubs inside schools as these constitute spaces of raising awareness and preventing drug abuse, smoking and anything likely to harm the health of our youths.


In this context, the General Secretary emphasized the necessity of animating the program and actively contributing to the implementation of the scheduled action plans, together with providing the necessary support to achieve the expected targets. This can be carried out through generalizing the program to include all lower secondary and high schools. He expressed his gratitude to the material, moral and technical efforts made by Lalla Salma Foundation against cancer to make this program successful, as well as the efforts of the Ministry of Health, the players of the educational field and all the partners of the educational institutions.


Mr. Abderrahmane MAAROUFI, Director of the Directorate of Epidemiology and Fighting against Diseases, pointed out that the Ministry of Health prepared a national program to fight against smoking and reduce its spread proportion among the youths. The strategy of this plan is based on three points:


  1. Raising awareness about the dangers of smoking;
  2. Developing and providing health services at the health centers to help smokers quit smoking;
  3. Developing legal texts to provide people with an environment that protects them against smoking and reduces the spread of the latter.


He also appreciated the efforts made by the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training at the level of fighting against smoking and raising awareness about its dangers among students through the program of smoking-free lower secondary and high schools.


It is worth mentioning that the opening of this study day was marked by the awards ceremony for the winners of the health clubs’ national competition for the academic year 2014-2015. The school of Ben Tayb in Driouech, regional academy of education and training at the Region of the Oriental, won the first award for the lower secondary level, while Ait Baha school, Souss-Massa regional academy, won the first award of the secondary high schools.


In addition to this, the national competition of the best painting and photograph about the prevention of the first cigarette was launched.


The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training, with the technical and logistical support of Lalla Salma Foundation against cancer, had carried out an evaluation study about the implementation of the program of smoking-free lower secondary and high schools at the level of the region previously named Gharb-Chrarda-Beni Hssen. After presenting the results of this study and as part of the program of smoking-free lower secondary and high schools, the participants in the study day showed the experiments of the regional academies of education and training as well as the focal points of the annual action plan for the year 2015-2016. These experiments showed several strong points and difficulties, as well as the challenges that hindered the implementation of this program, namely the characteristics of each region and its demographical and cultural nature, as well as its potentials and resources.


Some recommendations and practical suggestions were shared regarding the way to overcome these challenges in order to improve the performance of the program coordinators and ensure a broader participation of institutions, partners and players. Speakers unanimously agreed that the following points are necessary:


  • Organizing training sessions for the program coordinators and generalizing the training of teachers and physicians at the health centers on fighting against smoking;
  • Providing all the necessary resources, both human and logistical, to implement the activities in such a way that these achieve their targets;
  • Encouraging the leading experiments and granting recognition certificates to the educational institutions that are efficiently involved in the program;
  • Encouraging the students through organizing competitions and granting prizes and recognition certificates;
  • Organizing awareness meetings for the health clubs directors and hosts in order to ensure their active participation in the program;
  • Involving the civil society through partnerships and projects with, in particular, the institutions where smoking is strongly present.


This study day was attended by central directors, some directors of regional academies of education and training, provincial directors and physicians from the regional academies. The activities of this day were coordinated by Dr. Wafaa BENZAOUIA, Head of the School Health Department at the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training.



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