Morocco hosts Science week for young people

04/12/2006

The Moroccan Ministry of National Education, Higher Education, Training and Scientific Research has organised a science seminar to encourage young students to study the subjects in the field.

By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat -- 04/12/06

[File] Young Moroccans are increasingly studying science.

Morocco's Ministry of National Education, Higher Education, Training and Scientific Research and the Hassan II Academy of Science and Technology launched the first science seminar for young people on Thursday (November 30th) in Rabat.

The event -- which will run through Wednesday -- targets elementary and high-school students in Rabat, Sale, Temara, Khemisset, Kenitra, Mohammedia and Casablanca.

National Education Department strategy, statistics and planning chief Ahmed Gouitaa said the purpose of the event is to inform young people of the importance of science and to promote a culture of high-level science education. "The younger generation must realise that science holds the key to the future. We need to give them an environment that fosters a love of knowledge," he said.

The decision to organise the event was sparked by the belief that scientific research plays a major role in the process of development and access to knowledge and technology. Morocco currently spends 0.8% of its GDP on scientific research and plans to increase this figure to 1% by 2010.

The seminar will feature a number of leading Moroccan and foreign scientists discussing major scientific advances, the history of science, significant scientific research that is under way, ethics, and the contribution of Islamic civilisation to medicine, astronomy, time measurement and architecture.

Biology and geology student Hamza Saghir attended the opening lecture -- "On the trail of dinosaurs: from their origins to their extinction" -- by Philipe Taquet, a palaeontologist from the French Natural History Museum.

"It taught us about the science of extinct animals and what it’s like to work as a palaeontologist. I like this event because it gives us a chance to meet distinguished scientists," Saghir said.

Gouitaa said the role of scientific research in development projects needs to be highlighted. Since the National Charter for Education and Training was promulgated, the ministry has made the study of science and technology a top priority, and this has helped increase the number of junior high-school students who go on to study core science and technology at baccalaureate level.

The figures for this academic year show there has been a rise in the number of students studying these subjects. The target set by the National Charter of Education and Training is to increase this figure to 67% of students in science and technology, with the remaining 33% of students pursuing arts subjects. The number of students registered in the preparatory general science class preceding the first year of the baccalaureate cycle has risen from 97,800 in 2005 to 114,100 this year. This means 53% of all students are now studying science, up from 47%.

The number of first-cycle baccalaureate students studying science subjects has risen from 83,300 to 97,600, with the number of math students alone going up from 4,850 in 2005 to 5,930.

"In the light of the rise in the number of students studying science and technology, the ministry has set out an action plan to make the provision of academic guidance and advice more effective. The science awareness week forms part of this effort," the information service of the Ministry of National Education said.