Morocco’s Higher Education Ministry nearly doubled undergraduate programs to reach 1,037 during the 2023-2024 academic year compared to 570 programs in the last academic year, Abdellatif Miraoui, Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Innovation, said on Tuesday.
Speaking at the House of Representatives’ question time, Miraoui underlined that university enrollment capacity for the academic year increased to 578,000 seats, up from 563,000 the previous year. “Student numbers will therefore rise by 5% to 6%,” he predicted.
The current academic year marks the beginning of a “transformation in the higher education system, intending to expand university programs to meet market needs,” Miraoui pointed out.
“The ministry has launched a digital initiative to modernize training processes and implement pedagogical reforms, thus improving employability, skills development, and language learning through e-platforms,” he added.
Morocco is implementing an ambitious National Plan to Accelerate the Transformation of the Higher Education, Ecosystem Scientific Research, and Innovation. The program will drive forward a range of innovative and transformative approaches to increase the impact of higher education and scientific research for the benefit of Morocco’s people now and into the future.
The World Bank commended this program, which “will improve both the relevance and quality of Morocco’s public higher education system. It will benefit students, teaching staff, and researchers from Moroccan public universities,” according to Jesko Hentschel, Country Director for the Maghreb and Malta at the World Bank.
“Morocco’s New Development Model highlights the importance of investing in higher education and research for the country to achieve low-carbon, sustainable growth, and employment creation,” he added.
The program is designed to improve the labor market relevance of university programs, promote scientific research based on international standards and national priorities, and enhance governance at the central and university levels.
It will support key dimensions of the sector’s transformation and train future generations of researchers and professionals capable of meeting development challenges and providing solutions for the country’s socio-economic development.