Irregular practices harm credibility of postgraduate qualifications

A professor from the Moulay Ismail University in Meknes, Morocco, who was suspended following the posting of a video on social media in which he revealed allegations of irregular practices, corruption, clientelism and favouritism pertaining to postgraduate programmes, has been allowed to return to teach.

A scientific committee in the faculty of legal, economic and social sciences on 26 October reinstated Professor Al-Sousi Al-Alawi Abdel Kabir, according to a statement on his Facebook page. The committee stated the video Abdel Kabir made did not mention any higher education institution by name.

This came nearly two weeks after the committee on 14 October accused Abdel Kabir of “interference and incitement against staff responsible for masters programmes through social networking sites”. He was subsequently prevented from lecturing in the faculty.

Thus, what Abdel Kabir said was considered an “exercise of the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression” and the disagreement between the professor and the members of the scientific committee was resolved, the statement said.

A wave of support followed Abdel Kabir’s suspension. In a post on 15 October, law students said on Facebook: “All solidarity with Professor Abdel Kabir .” A Facebook campaign also called for his reinstatement: “No to gagging. Yes to uncover the hidden and to expose university corruption. We are all [for] Professor Abdel Kabir.”

Credibility of qualifications at risk

“It is sad to admit that these ill practices do in fact exist, but we should not generalise as it concerns a minority of professors, administrators and students,” Yamina El Kirat El Allame, a former vice-dean for research and cooperation at Mohammed V University of Rabat, Morocco, told University World News.

Echoing El Allame’s views, Aziza Menouni, a PhD student and a programme manager of institutional university cooperation at the Moulay Ismail University, said irregularities affecting masters programmes were limited and a minority of professors, administrators and students were involved, but it could increasingly affect the reputation of Moroccan universities and the credibility of their qualifications.

“These bad practices include, but are not limited to, unethical behaviour related to clientelism and corruption, mainly during the selection process. The lack of transparency and equal opportunities in the registration of candidates sends a wrong message to young students, which is that personal efforts and merit are not enough to succeed and that success is mainly achieved by manipulation,” Menouni, added.

El Allame said the concern was that those who speak out were victimised and that allegations were not investigated.

Causes and remedies

According to El Allame and Menouni bureaucracy could be a contributing factor to the problems.

“Moroccan higher education is bureaucratic at all levels and puts the power in the hands of individual people instead of establishing committees. There is no transparency at any level. The choices of presidents, deans and all decision-making positions are not done on the basis of merit and competences, but rather on whether you have a political affiliation or support from an authority. There is no room for the values of governance quality and academic integrity. There is no room for evaluation or criticism,” El Allame pointed out.

“I think there is a need for the adoption of working with committees instead of leaving decisions in the hands of one person, at all levels.

“Students should be involved and should be given the opportunity to talk and make their voices heard and should be asked to report on any power abuse or misconduct on the part of both students and teachers and administrators. This can be achieved through a dedicated committee to put an end to misconduct and ill practices,” El Allame suggested.

Menouni said the setting of standards and codes of conduct could ensure transparency and that universities were supposed to constantly monitor the adherence to controls and procedures. “At many levels, online channels and ethical committees can help address any reported unethical behaviour within the university,” said Menouni.

“The seriousness and the frequency of internal and external monitoring of masters programmes at different phases of implementation must be improved. The Ministry of Higher Education and the National Agency for the Evaluation and Quality Assurance of Higher Education and Scientific Research are invited to double efforts to monitor masters studies, starting from the process of accreditation until the post-evaluation,” Menouni indicated.

Rebuild trust and legitimacy

El Allame stated that it was urgent to investigate the problem and try to re-establish the reputation of the education system.

“Students should themselves be aware of the fact that resorting to such practices will do them more harm than good. Indeed, we are harming the whole of society and leading to the failure of generations to come and the future of the whole country,” said El Allame.

Echoing El Allame’s views, Menouni stated: “The ill practices registered at masters programmes are only an example of the many issues that face our higher education system. A comprehensive re-shaping of public academic institutions in Morocco is urgently needed to rebuild individual and collective trust and revive the legitimacy of our institutions.”