Ministry says private universities not eligible for bailouts

According to a decision by Morocco's minister of higher education published in an official bulletin on 18 June, private higher education institutions will not be eligible to benefit from draft law 25-20 which gives a legal framework to the measures implemented by the Economic Monitoring Committee to support businesses and employees in the formal sector amid the COVID-19 crisis.

The law sets the conditions for the granting of a MAD2,000 (US$207) monthly stipend to suspended employees. Eligible companies need to prove that their monthly turnover has dropped by at least 50% compared to the same period in 2019 in order for their employees to benefit.

The Moroccan higher education system is composed of three main sectors, including 13 public universities, a public university with private management (Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane) and 207 private higher education institutions, which include universities and institutions created by private initiatives but under the pedagogic authority of the Ministry of National Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education and Scientific Research.

‘Relatively unaffected’

Endorsing the government’s decision, Yamina El Kirat El Allame, an international adviser and consultant in the field of higher education and former vice-dean for research and cooperation in the faculty of letters and human sciences at Mohammed V University of Rabat, Morocco, said private institutions have been relatively unaffected by the COVID-19 shutdowns and transition to online teaching and learning.

“When we look at the profile of the students who opt for and resort to private institutions of higher education and at the socio-economic status of their families, they are for the most part financially at ease and can afford the cost of this type of education.”

“Private higher education institutions … have continued their work in a normal way. These institutions are very strict concerning the students’ payment of the fees,” El Allame said.

“During the pandemic, most private higher education institutions have asked for the solidarity of their teaching staff through the reduction of their salaries. The reduction has reached up to 25% of the salary in some very prestigious institutions.”

She said given the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, a number of private institutions are “working on improving the logistics of their distance learning”.

“I personally don’t see any negative impact of such a decision on the performance of private higher education institutions,” she said.

Professor Jamal Benhayoun, vice-dean in charge of research and cooperation at the faculty of letters and humanities of Abdelmalek Essaadi University, a public university in Morocco, agreed, saying the government’s decision made sense, particularly as most private institutions charge their students at the beginning of the year.

“The best performing private universities in Morocco seem relatively to have suffered the least, as most of these institutions are technologically well-equipped to guarantee online classes for the students, using multiple up-to-date platforms and digital programmes.”

An investment in the future

However, Jean AbiNader, a senior adviser at the Moroccan American Center, disagreed with the move, arguing that private universities needed financial support to maintain facilities, faculties and programmes.

“This governmental financial support is an investment in the future that has many benefits. Just look at how quickly Morocco was able to develop home grown ventilators and other personal protective equipment to combat the coronavirus,” AbiNader said. “This is because of well-trained and innovative university graduates who come from both public and private universities.”

Elizabeth Buckner, assistant professor at Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto in Canada, and former Fulbright scholar to Morocco, told University World News that it was unlikely that private higher education institutions would not be negatively affected by COVID.

“We know that private universities around the world are facing economic precarity,” she said. “With families concerned about economic recession and restrictions being placed on international travel, private universities that depend on international students and tuition from upper- and middle-class families will likely suffer.”

“What we know about private universities in Morocco is that the government remains somewhat sceptical of their role and it seems most likely that the government simply did not want to give them access to public funding.”

Abdessamad Fatmi, director of student affairs at the International University of Rabat in Morocco, told University World News that few sectors had been spared by the coronavirus pandemic and private higher education institutions were no exception.

“In the case of our university, the effects have been visible as the families that have been hard hit by the crisis were unable to pay due instalments, and continuing education provision (an important source of income for universities like ours) came to a near halt. The university had to reimburse part or all housing or other fees for services not provided,” Fatmi said.

“Fortunately, our university made a huge effort to keep all its workforce on the payroll and preserve all subcontracted services as well.”

Fatmi said the university also contributed to the national COVID-19 fund as part of its social responsibility mission, manufacturing and donating tens of thousands of face shield visors and other personal protective equipment. It also put part of its housing capacity at the health ministry’s disposal.

Unified higher education strategy

Benhayoun said the situation highlighted the need for a “unified and clear higher education strategy that brings both private and public higher education institutions to work together and pool their resources for the common good of the country”.

El Allame agreed, saying: “I think that some of the existing private higher education institutions have a lot of means and can actually play a role in helping the public sector and enhance the role of higher education development in the country, not only in the time of the coronavirus but also beyond this.”

She said Mohammed VI Polytechnic University had signed a framework agreement with the Ministry of National Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education and Scientific Research to share its know-how relating to the digitisation of educational content.

“Such an initiative will go beyond the COVID-19 situation as it aims to strengthen research capacities in Morocco to meet the country’s industrial and economic priorities,” she said.

“Indeed, other well-established private universities should follow and share their know-how and expertise to enhance the role in higher education development in the country,” El Allame said.