Moroccan Dialect Classes in Terrassa, Spain: Equipping Teachers with Language, Intercultural, and Anti-Racist Skills

The City of Terrassa commits to implement an anti-racist and intercultural educational strategy by providing language and cultural training to its primary and secondary grade teachers.

Facilitated by professionals, these courses were developed to meet the needs of Terrassa’s Moroccan population, which represents the largest foreign population (6.13% of the city's inhabitants, with a distribution of up to 40% in some neighbourhoods). The courses help teachers acquire basic language skills to improve interaction with their students of Moroccan origin and their families.

The teaching of basic Darija (Moroccan dialect) language skills and Moroccan culture gives teachers powerful tools to create rewarding relationships with their students, value the contributions of different cultures and make their educational practices more inclusive. The programme also raises pupils' awareness of the right to religious freedom, and trains teachers to prevent situations of discrimination and racism, thus filling a major gap in teacher training, as teachers are not taught about cultural diversity during their studies.