When asked if they knew it was forbidden for a child under the age of 12 to work, the parents all acted shocked. None of the parents were familiar with the law and all of them disagreed with it's provisions. The 1963 constitution made schooling mandatory for girls and boys ages 7 to 13. 26 Enforcement of the compulsory education law is lax, especially in the countryside and poorer urban areas. 27 Many Moroccan parents send their children to school, but they often become disillusioned by the high cost of school supplies and the low employment rates for educated youth.
Many parents distinguish, however, between public and private schooling.
A majority of those interviewed for the study indicated that they would have sent their children to private schools, if they could afford it. And an ILO official reported that the government has set a goal of raising school attendance to 90 percent by 1997. 29 C. International Conventions Morocco is party to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 30 but has not ratified ILO Convention No. 138 Concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment or ILO Convention No. Concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment for Industry. 31 Ministry of Labor officials suggested that the government is considering ratifying the ILO Convention No. 138.