Moroccan universities criticised for being "purely theoretical"

21/07/2008

After focusing on public administration for many years, Moroccan universities have been slow to adapt to the needs of the business world.

By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 21/07/08

[Sarah Touahri] A "glaring lack of skills" among Moroccan university graduates should be remedied with the introduction of more professional training courses, employment minister Jamal Aghmani says.

Moroccan universities have a poor reputation among young people and employers. Despite reforms introduced in 2003, companies and graduates alike question the ability of Moroccan universities to meet the demands of the labour market.

Business leaders and government officials seem to agree that professional training courses prepare students for jobs better than traditional university degrees.

Minister of Employment and Professional Training Jamal Aghmani told Magharebia there is a glaring lack of skills in certain specialities. His solution: calling on universities to offer professional degree courses that meet companies' needs.

Business leader Mohamed Bardouzi agreed, saying that universities are still a long way from meeting business needs, particularly in key sectors such as off-shoring and engineering.

"Personally, I would rather recruit a young graduate from the Professional Training and Work Promotion Office," he said, "because they are able to perform, even though they may only have a bac+2. I feel that university degrees have no role to play in the private sector."

Entrepreneur Marouane Debbagh said that despite reforms designed to give universities more flexibility and control over the types of courses they offer, knowledge among university graduates remains rather academic.

"I believe those running the higher education department need to think about measures which can be taken to give university graduates the skills we need," Debbagh said, suggesting that universities incorporate public and private sector internships into the degree programmes.

"For the most part, the training is purely theoretical," said Saâd Mohammadine, a third-year economic science student. "The courses are not compulsory. Once a graduate has his degree, he will struggle to find work, because people are always asking for people who have been through professional training schools."

Second-year law student Sara Joual cannot even imagine herself finding work in the private sector.

"To be honest, the reason I’m studying is to get a degree under my belt. I know the employment prospects are limited," she said.

"Maybe I’ll change over later into hairdressing or beauty treatment so that I can make a living, even though these jobs have nothing to do with the law and political science that I'm studying at the moment," Sara concluded.

The Ministry of Higher Education stands by its reforms, however, insisting that universities are trying to adapt to current needs. A ministry spokesperson told Magharebia that Moroccan universities have moved beyond preparing students for government administration. According to the ministry, universities are now working with some of the greatest ventures in the kingdom and overseas.

Professor Jamal Badrane agrees that reforms introduced since 2003 have given universities the autonomy and internal structures they need to reform themselves.

"The university is now apparently free to offer the training it feels is suitable, according to its human and material resources," he said.

For Badrane, the issue is one of self-assurance.

Employers, he said, should show more confidence in Moroccan university graduates, and graduates themselves must have confidence in their own skills.