The city of Benguerir in Morocco has been awarded the UNESCO Learning City Award 2024. It has received the prize for its transformative approach to lifelong learning, including its approach to creating inclusive educational opportunities for out-of-school learners and for children with disabilities.
The “Second-Chance School” focuses on equity and inclusion to support marginalised youth to re-enter the education system. For children with disability, the city has a specialised centre for non-verbal children to foster an inclusive education model. This model has achieved a 100% integration rate for nonverbal children in state schools, where they learn alongside their peers.