Niemand soll Marokkos Universitäten als "Arbeitslosigkeits-Fabriken" bezeichnen, fordert der marokkanische Hochschulminister Lahcen Daoudi. Der Minister sieht die Ursache der hohen Arbeitslosenrate junger Akademiker, die in seinem Land 24 Prozent erreicht hat, in der nationalen Wirtschaft.
Morocco to boost higher education
People should stop calling Moroccan universities unemployment factories,
according to Higher Education Minister Lahcen Daoudi.
Universities are not responsible for the jobless rate for young graduates, which
has reached 24%, he said at a MAP forum in Rabat on Tuesday (September 16th).
Instead, the minister blamed the national economy.
"To boost
employment, we need a stable rate of growth between 7% and 8%. Until we reach
that percentage, unemployment will continue," Daoudi said.
Moroccan universities have a better image outside the country than inside it, he
continued, noting that his department was considering a large number of measures
to improve university education.
There are two main areas of
focus for reform, the minister explained.
The first is a
restructuring of higher education by grouping big universities together into
"hubs", in order to increase their visibility across the region and the
continent.
The second is the promotion of university scientific
research. The minister lamented the neglect of this aspect by previous
governments.
Several research projects are currently under way,
thanks to national and international partnerships. The minister wants to see
Morocco move up from fifth place in Africa in terms of scientific research to
second place behind South Africa within two years.
Universities
should not receive all of the blame for the failings in the higher education
sector, he said, adding that the entire education system should be reviewed from
the primary level upwards.
This view was shared by sociologist
Samira Kassimi, who said that the system as a whole needed to be reviewed and
that precise targets needed to be set. According to Kassimi, curricula,
language-learning and skills need to be rethought.
"You get the
impression that Moroccan education is floundering from primary level up to
higher education level. The learning model needs to be revised to address
current and future challenges," she explained.
"With regard to
higher education, we are still awaiting the launch of a study of the needs of
the job market. Without this survey, we can't adapt higher education and
successfully create a strong link between university education and the business
world," she told Magharebia.
Students mostly want to see job
prospects improve.
"The government must forge partnerships with
businesses to make it easier for students to access jobs in the private sector,"
19-year-old economics student Najat Bachir said.
"It's not enough
to say that universities aren't responsible for youth unemployment. The
government must take concrete steps to help university students. Conventional
training must be backed up by practical training to improve graduates' skills,"
she added.
Akram Gouram, a 20-year-old legal science student
agreed, noting that advanced training courses should be compulsory for students
as a way to supplement their training.
"Most students gain their
degree or master's degree without having any contact with the business world
whatsoever. That's wrong. University education can't be improved unless it
includes a practical and work-based aspect," he told Magharebia.