Moroccan literacy programme to benefit 1 million people

11/10/2005

The 2006 illiteracy eradication programme in Morocco will benefit 1 million illiterates and 27,000 non-schooled children. Secretary of State in Charge of Literacy and Informal Education Anis Birou say the programme will have a new organisation and high quality management.

The 2005-2010 programme aims to reduce the illiteracy rate to 17 per cent for those over the age of 15. The initiative is part of the National Initiative for Human Development, launched in May by King Mohammed VI to reduce social disparities and fight exclusion. (MAP)

Algerian minister indicates government striving for quality education

11/10/2005

[File] Benbouzid

Education Minister Aboubakr Benbouzid indicated on Monday (10 October) at the 33rd session of UNESCO's General Conference in Paris that Algeria's goal is to ensure "not only education for all, but quality schools for all". He added "Algeria completely accepts the 2000 Dakar agreement with renewed and reinforced means, set up by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who makes sure that education will be a priority field. This is what the government has done within the 2006 finance act."

The budget for national education "doubled in five years from 127 billion dinars in 1999 to 265 billion dinars in 2005", Benbouzid added. The money was used for developing new teaching methods, reviewing programmes and textbooks, and for preparation of teachers. (El Moudjahid, APS, Liberte)

New education projects to benefit girls, disabled people in Morocco

09/10/2005

[AFP] Mohammed VI

On Saturday (8 October) in Rabat, Moroccan King Mohammed VI launched two projects aimed to promote education for disabled people and girls.

The first project, worth $885,000, provides for the construction of a training and integration centre for the disabled, where they will be assisted in developing skills and adapting them to the job market. The project is part of a programme that includes a total of nine similar centres throughout the country.

The second project is a $1.4m boarding school for girls, with a capacity of 110 rooms (220 beds), for low-income students in a bid to encourage them to pursue their studies. (MAP)

ALESCO to discuss educational projects in Tunis

25/09/2005

The executive council of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALESCO) is holding its eight session of meetings 24-28 September in Tunis. Among topics to be discussed will be the progress made on a project for the creation of an encyclopaedia of Arab scientists, as well as on two reference works on Arab history and geography. The council will also examine two other projects related to the improvement of Arabic language teaching at all levels of state education and the establishment of an Arab organisation for educational evaluation. (La Presse)

King Mohammed VI of Morocco launches anti-illiteracy programme in mosques

18/09/2005

Moroccan King Mohammed VI launched the 2005-2006 anti-illiteracy programme in mosques on Friday (16 September), at Al Housna Mosque in Casablanca. MAP reports the first stage of the programme targets 60,000 people, 48,000 of whom are aged 15-45. Some 2,160 teachers -- 950 of them women -- and 2,334 mosques will participate. When completed, the initiative is envisioned to reach 500,000 beneficiaries, including 304,000 in rural areas. (MAP)

National ICT programme in education launched in Morocco

16/09/2005

Moroccan King Mohammed VI inaugurated an $11m national programme for generalisation of information and communication technologies (ICT) in education on Thursday (15 September). The programme, launched at the Lalla Aicha School in Casablanca, aims at providing all 8,600 Moroccan schools with Internet-connected multimedia rooms by 2008.

The programme will be implemented in three stages: infrastructure, teacher training and educational content development. For the 2005-2006 school year, 100,000 computers will be provided, covering 75 per cent of secondary and high schools and 25 per cent of primary schools. (MAP, Le Matin)

Tunisian-German Academy for Young Journalists organised in Tunis

16/09/2005

The German-based Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Press and Information Sciences Institute (IPSI) in Tunisia are organising the first Tunisian-German Academy for Young Journalists to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Barcelona Process. The 15-25 September Tunis event is called "Barcelona Plus 10: Economic and Cultural Foundations of the Mediterranean Partnership."

The academy includes six German students of the Academy of Journalism of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and six Tunisian students of IPSI. Topics related to the social, economic and cultural aspects of the Tunisian-European partnership, particularly the Tunisian-German partnership, are being discussed. (Le Temps)

Mediterranean Festival of the Comic Strip opens in Tunis

15/09/2005

The Charles DeGaulle Media Library will host the fourth edition of the Mediterranean Festival of the Comic Strip from 30 September to 2 October. The programme includes exhibitions in several galleries, a workshop on comic strip writing and drawing, and meetings with leading professionals in the field. (Le Quotidien)

Master's degree in company management offered by Algerian school

12/09/2005

The Algiers Higher School for Business will launch a two-year master's degree course in company management on 1 October. Course partners include the University of Lille, the HEC Business School in Paris and the European Institute of Management. Algerian graduates of the Higher School of Commerce and the National Institute of Commerce will account for 20 per cent of the teachers. (ANSAmed)