Morocco

Higher learning in Morocco has existed for centuries. In fact, Kairouyine University in Fez was built from 859 to 862 A.D. The Almoravid Dynasty, led by Youssef Ben Tachfin, spread knowledge and advanced Islam, philosophy, art, and science in Morocco, Andalussya, Algeria, Tunisia, and part of Libya. In the thirteenth century, Morocco entered the Merinid Dynasty rule for 200 years; several schools and university centers were built during this period. Chief among these is Ali Ben Youssef Medersa, an Islamic university in Marrakech, which was erected in the fourteenth century by Sultan Abou el Hassan and revamped in the mid-sixteenth century.

After its decolonization in 1956, Morocco began developing its modern university and college system. Since the 1960s, Morocco has emphasized the importance of colleges, institutes, higher learning centers, pedagogical facilities, and universities. In a March 3, 1997, televised royal discourse, King Hassan II stated: "The most precious good or resource of a nation is not its gold or currency reserves, as considerable as such might be. Neither are a nation's underground wealth or the power of its industry. The power of a nation rests on its human capital and health."

The number of college students has been steadily increasing. In the 1980s there were approximately 100,000 college students; by the end of the 1990s the number of college students had increased to more than 250,000. In 2000 more than 60,000 students were enrolled in higher education and training centers in the capital Rabat. Female university enrollment has increased significantly. At the end of the 1990s, 41 percent of the total enrollment was female. In some areas, such as medicine, dentistry, and the humanities, female enrollment is 51 percent. From 1985 to 2000 the annualized average growth rate in university enrollment was 6.3 percent. It has been projected that in 2000-2001 the annual rate of growth will be 3 percent in the scientific and technical areas; 4 percent in the economic, legal, administrative, and social fields; and 3 percent in pedagogy and teaching.

The higher education curriculum includes the humanities, arts and literature, social and behavioral sciences, economics and law, politics, economics, history, geography, biology and geology, medicine, pharmacology and pharmacy, biological and geological sciences, physics and chemistry, information technology, computer and information systems, military and technical studies, engineering, architecture, pedagogy and teachers' formation, and cadres' creation.

Prior to 2000, the baccalaureate examination, a national test that took three days to complete, was used to determine university admittance and to award national government scholarships. The tests were very competitive, and the students' scores were published in the national print media. Approximately 10 to 20 percent scored high enough to enter the university with a national governmental scholarship that paid full tuition and provided a quarterly stipend to cover board, room, books, and incidental expenses. During the 1960s and the 1970s, successful high school graduates (bacheliers and bachelières) could choose to enroll in Moroccan universities and higher learning institutes or, if the college level field of study was not yet available in Morocco, they could enroll in French, Canadian, Russian, or other international schools and universities.

Since 2000, high school graduates average their senior year to determine which type of higher education programs they may enter. Those earning a Bac "A" may choose to study programs such as law; politics; letters and humanities; languages; behavioral sciences such as psychology, sociology, and anthropology; history; and geography. If they graduate from a lycée with a Bac "B," then they may study areas such as economics or business. Those graduating with a Bac "C" may pursue areas such as medicine, health sciences, or biology. Those graduating with a Bac "D" may enroll in engineering, physics, and/or chemistry colleges and institutes.

Since the 1960s there have been significant improvements in Morocco's material and socioeconomic-educational structures. Based on a 1997 university performance study, the National Report on Human Development, the ratio of professor to students was 1 to 27 in colleges and 1 to 6 in technical institutes. The report notes that Moroccan higher education has grown at an average annualized rate of 11 percent in the post-colonial period. In 2000 approximately 40,000 Moroccans held college degrees in contrast to a few hundred before 1960. This enormous growth mirrors the philosophy of decentralizing education, diversifying vocational and technical training, and constantly launching new colleges and institutes. In 1960-1961 there were 6 higher education institutions; in 2000 there were more than 70. Major public universities include the University Hassan II, University Cadi Ayyad, AlAkhawayn University, Moulay Ismail University, Agadir University, Oujda University, and Settat University. The University Mohammed V is Morocco's largest university both in student enrollments and the number of departments.

Graduate schools have not been easily accessible, and many institutions offered only undergraduate programs. At the end of the 1990s, approximately 92 percent of the college students were undergraduate students; however, only about 10 percent of the undergraduate population graduated. Approximately 80 percent of the students must repeat one or more academic years. Suggestions for improving the higher education program include reviewing students progress and university programs each term; examining the testing policies and grading standards; revising higher pedagogical delivery via students' portfolios and college-to-work programs; and examining the success of students during internships, externships, inter-African and middle Eastern exchanges, European exchanges, and global university exchanges. To implement many of these proposed changes, additional funds are needed.

In 2000 approximately 7,000 assistants, lecturers, professors, and researchers worked in Moroccan colleges, institutes, grandes écoles, and universities; 4 percent were teacher assistants, 61 percent master assistants, 11 percent lecturers, 17 percent professors, and 7 percent researchers. Approximately 72 percent of teachers were in the areas of law, literature, education, political science, social sciences, and economics. Only 28 percent specialized in the scientific, technical, and health care professions.