The major transformations and transitions that the world is experiencing today are not seen by the government as just a passing crisis, but rather as an opportunity to adopt a preventive approach and objectively diagnose their various repercussions, as well as to seize possible opportunities to mitigate the resulting risks. This was stated on Monday by the Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, during the monthly plenary session of general policy questions addressed to the Chief Executive.
Speaking during this plenary session, Aziz Akhannouch, indicated that the constant royal orientations constituted a clear compass for adopting institutional governance in the field of education and training, by inviting all the actors concerned by the education sector to improve the policies and programs adopted, as well as to provide quality services for the benefit of young people, in order to strengthen the paths of academic empowerment, scientific research and innovation, and to guarantee the necessary convergence between the issue of employment and qualification of human capital.
In this sense, Akhannouch returned to the statements of King Mohammed VI during the 33rd International Conference on the Effectiveness and Development of Schools, which was held on January 7, 2020 in Marrakech, which attaches particular importance to the improvement of education, starting from its deep conviction of its crucial role as a lever for the achievement of sustainable development in various social, economic, cultural and environmental fields.
These noble royal orientations are intended to define government action, underlined the head of government, “ in particular with regard to recovering the attractiveness of our educational system and making it the solid nucleus for improving the situation of young people, reducing unemployment and strengthening integration into the labor market, in accordance with the objectives of the strategic vision defined in the provisions of the framework law 51.17 “.
“At a time when the findings of the new development model have revealed the growing need to strengthen human capital as a crucial issue for the success of development pathways in our country, and to strengthen the capacity of citizens to face the future and to empower the Kingdom by strengthening its competitiveness. This requires reviewing the various disturbances suffered by the education and training system, carrying out a continuous and real updating of public and private higher education institutions, and working to improve their performance, while placing the student at the heart of these reforms and by strengthening their scientific and cultural capacities to successfully integrate into the labor market“, estimated Akhannouch.
Assuming that the Moroccan university is located at the heart of our country’s development dynamics, Akhannouch indicated that his government pays particular attention by examining the main challenges posed by the scientific research and training system, which requires a review of the various related organizational, supervisory and human resources aspects.
But he still raised that our academic institutions continue to face many manifestations of limitations, mainly related to productivity and shortage of human resources, not to mention some strategic and organizational challenges.
Among his challenges, Akhannouch cites the rate of university failure without obtaining a diploma which has reached around 49% in recent years, in addition to the unemployment rate among university graduates which is 18.7%. in the open recruitment system (8.5% in closed recruitment).
Also, the Head of the Executive mentioned the ratio of educational supervision which is below international standards, with one professor for about 120 students in the faculties of open recruitment, as well as the efficiency of the multidisciplinary colleges which is low, which which makes it a model criticized internationally, noting that the Superior Council of Education and Training has recommended that they be reviewed.
But not only ! Still with regard to the strategic and organizational challenges facing our academic institutions, Akhannouch evokes the retirement of 2,200 of the best teachers by 2026, the closure of the system and lack of harmonization with development priorities at regional levels. and national, in addition to the decline in the quality of scientific research, whether in terms of the low budget allocated to it (1.6% of the general budget in 2021 and 2022) or the number of researchers, who do not exceed 1,708 researchers per million inhabitants (compared to 2,916 researchers per million inhabitants in Brazil, for example).
” These issues will be addressed within the framework of the strategic vision drawn up by the government during its first year, which will determine the measures necessary to build a Moroccan university that is integrated and in line with national reforms, positioning Morocco among the leading countries in terms of innovation and technological excellence“, assured Akhannouch.
The government’s awareness of the challenges of this multidimensional sector has prompted it to adopt a large-scale participatory approach to mobilize collective intelligence, underlined the head of government, by involving all stakeholders within the university. and active forces at regional and local level, including local authorities, economic actors and civil society organizations, in order to accelerate the integration of the kingdom into the knowledge society.
This participatory approach, he continued, was implemented through the organization of 13 regional consultations, aimed at strengthening and supporting the process of joint construction of this reform.
” These consultations were an essential step in exchanging points of view, sharing opinions and collecting the expectations of actors at the regional level, with the aim of establishing a new university model that consecrates the central role that the Moroccan university must play in as a beacon of knowledge and societal values, as well as its role in training the skills of tomorrow“, indicated Akhannouch.
According to Akhannouch, his consultations have attracted great participation from stakeholders, with more than 35,000 participants, including 1,350 representatives of local communities, 580 economic actors, 650 members of civil society, and more than 400 competent participants from the diaspora. Moroccan.
These debates generated more than 3,000 recommendations through electronic platforms dedicated to consultative meetings, as well as the conclusion of 127 partnership agreements between actors at the regional level, relating to priority areas such as student housing, scholarships dedicated to national mobility and training courses meeting the needs of the production sectors, underlined the head of government.