Morocco’s education system has announced a US$1.7 billion overhaul, University World News reported yesterday. The emergency plan includes reforming the country’s universities in a bid to boost their science and technology workforce.
According to the 2008 Unesco report The Science and Technology System of the Kingdom of Morocco, 40 tertiary institutions are operating, including 14 universities as well as private higher education institutions and polytechnics. Official statistics put the number of university students at 277,428 in 2004.
The overhaul is to be funded by the Ministry of National Education, Higher Education, Professional Training and Scientific Research with support from the French Development Agency, African Development Bank, European Investment Bank, World Bank and European Commission.
The funding will be chanelled into improving performance, developing scientific research and teaching quality to bring Moroccan universities up to an international standard. The government has targeted accrediting 92% of its universities as research institutions by 2012, compared with 69% in 2008.