Opposition to planned reforms for undergraduate education

A plan by the Moroccan Ministry of Higher Education that would, among other things, bump up the number of years required to earn a bachelor degree from three to four years has stirred up opposition among both students and professors, writes Amr EL-Tohamy for Al-Fanar Media.

Morocco is one of the few Arab countries to have made many changes in its educational system in recent years. The changes the higher education ministry is now proposing would include a requirement for students to master English and would include in the new four-year undergraduate programme a preparatory year to give students the knowledge and skills to succeed in the last three years of their education. The four-year degree is similar to the academic system followed in several other Arab countries, including Egypt, Jordan, Syria and some Gulf countries.

But these proposed changes are drawing a lot of opposition from those who feel that other longstanding needs for reforms – including higher pay for professors – are being neglected. The proposed reforms came in an attempt to improve the quality of university education and the quality of students graduating from universities in the kingdom, according to Saeed Amzazi, minister of education and higher education and vocational training.
Full report on the Al-Fanar Media site