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More than 1,800 students from 95 schools in Andalusia took part in the Arabic Language and Moroccan Culture Teaching Program (PLACM) during the 2024-2025 academic year, according to a written response by the Andalusian regional government to a question raised by the far-right Vox party.
María del Carmen Castillo, Andalusia’s Minister of Educational Development and Vocational Training, explained that «the teaching staff of the PLACM program is entirely managed and funded by the Kingdom of Morocco, under the cultural cooperation agreement signed between the governments of Spain and Morocco. It is also responsible for the selection and appointment of teachers», stressing that the Andalusian government «does not allocate any budget to fund this program».
Castillo noted that 1,810 students were enrolled in the program across 95 schools in 2024-2025, an increase compared with 2023-2024 (79 schools, 1,741 students), 2022-2023 (90 schools, 1,958 students), 2021-2022 (76 schools, 1,312 students), and 2020-2021 (80 schools, 1,525 students). However, enrollment remains below pre-pandemic levels, with 2,700 students in 113 schools in 2019-2020 and a record 3,407 students in 108 schools in 2018-2019.
Official data published in the Andalusian Parliament’s bulletin also revealed that 191 schools in the region offered Islamic religious education during the 2024-2025 school year, in response to another query by Vox.
Launched under the 1980 cultural cooperation agreement between Spain and Morocco, which came into force in 2012, the PLACM program is coordinated by the Moroccan Embassy in Spain and the Spanish Ministry of Education. Its courses are delivered by Moroccan teachers officially employed by Morocco.
