Education & Research
From The Report: Morocco 2015
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Considerable advances have been made in increasing enrolment levels, with net primary school enrolment reaching 98% in 2013, up from 85% in 2003, although challenges remain in ensuring adequate access to education in rural areas. The government has worked to improve infrastructure through the rehabilitation of schools and the involvement of the private sector. An emphasis on vocational training is expected to help match graduates’ skills with the demands of the labour market, reducing high rates of youth unemployment, while another major focus over the coming years will be to increase scientific research output at Moroccan universities.

This chapter contains interviews with Lahcen Daoudi, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research; and Tarafa Marouane, Chairman, Commission of Research and Development, General Confederation of Moroccan Companies.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Greater space for private educators and increasing enrolment in Morocco
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With an increasing number of students going to university, and an expanding role for the private sector, the educational sector in Morocco is undergoing a period of transition. Alongside measures to reorganise the sector and better prepare students to meet the demands of the labour force, challenges remain, key among which is ensuring access to education in rural areas. Moreover, fragmentation in the sector continues to be an issue, although efforts are being made to improve coordination among government…

Analysis

Morocco promoting scientific research as key focus for education
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A comprehensive reform programme to improve access and enhance the performance of the education system has been under way in Morocco. Notably, the authorities are working to restructure the sector as a whole by grouping universities under umbrella bodies to increase their visibility on a national and regional level. This will also help achieve greater economies of scale. For instance, in September 2014 Casablanca-Ain Chock University merged with the University of Mohammedia, establishing University…

Interview

Lahcen Daoudi, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research: Interview
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Interview: Lahcen Daoudi What are the most pressing challenges in the way of improving soft skills in Morocco? LAHCEN DAOUDI: The challenges are numerous. Firstly, the number of students keeps on increasing by around 15% every year, and by up to as much as 29% annually. This leads to logistical challenges, but even if you build more classrooms and hire more teaching staff, it remains very difficult to ensure a diverse skill base that students can take to the labour market. Too many students opt…

Interview

Tarafa Marouane, Chairman, Commission of Research and Development, General Confederation of Moroccan Companies: Interview
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Interview:Tarafa Marouane What are the key issues for the education system? TARAFA MAROUANE: The level of public expenditure on education in Morocco is around 6.5% of GDP, similar to other OECD countries. However, there are ongoing problems in terms of instruction versus education and teaching versus managing. We focus too much on academics at the expense of soft skills. While teachers are good at instructing, they are not the right people to make decisions about investment and the rationalisation…

Analysis

Morocco using vocational training to counter high youth unemployment rate
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At present, the vocational training system in Morocco consists of one main public provider, the Bureau of Professional Training and Employment Promotion (Office de la Formation Professionnelle et de la Promotion du Travail, OFPPT), which was created in 1974 to increase the pool of professionally trained citizens. In 2014/15, the OFPPT trained 370,000 people, including over 100,000 for industrial trades, almost 50,000 for the construction and building materials sector, over 25,000 in hospitality…