Why Do Jobless Post-Graduates Object Competitive Exams?

By Haddouchan Youssef

Morocco World News

Errachidia, Morocco, April 28, 2012

It is indubitable that writing on different issues is of great importance in life at large, so long as it is based on objectivity. Writing is, however, a very big responsibility in that it contributes to the formation of “truths.” Any person who is obsessed with writing is, thus, required to be cautious as to what he or she writes. However, Mr Bihmidine has perhaps forgotten these norms. In his recent article, Morocco: Unemployed Graduates Call for a Condition-free Recruitment, the gentleman has accused MA and PhD holders as being incompetent simply because they reject taking exams to land a job. It is in this regard that this article tries to explain why post-graduates call for direct integration in the public sector.

Admission to master’s programs in Morocco is based on certain criteria and conditions. Anyone who may have already applied for a master’s program may have known that all programs are based on meritocracy as the first condition for admission. Put differently, if you wish to be admitted into a program, you need to have high grades during your B.A; otherwise, your chance to be selected for further tests would diminish. But because Morocco is amongst the countries where bribery is rampant, admission to master’s programs may sometimes take different forms.

However, having high grades does not necessarily mean that you are to be finally admitted to a master’s program. One must take a written exam as well as an oral one. It is not until you pass such tests that we can say that you are admitted to that program. Still, these are not the last exams you take. Throughout your enrollment in a master’s program, you are required to sit for a written exam every semester as well as continuous assessments, meaning that you are going to take at least four exams in two years of study. Let’s suppose that you passed all of these exams, that does not necessarily mean that you will obtain a master’s degree. You are still left with one difficult final phase, which is the defense of your thesis or dissertation.

If you have managed to pass all those exams, can we still accuse you of being incompetent? Well, if we say “yes”, then one would deduce that certain things are not all right. He or she would say how come this person has passed all these exams and we still say he or she is incompetent. Indeed, passing all these exams may not mean that one is competent if the professors who have taught him are not principled ones. In a broader scope, if Moroccan universities give high degrees to students who do not deserve them, then they should assume their responsibility. But if university degrees are given on the basis of meritocracy, then why should we doubt the competence of M.A. and PhD holders?

Having clarified how admission to masters programs takes place in Morocco, let us now move to explain why do M.A. and PhD holders call for immediate and direct integration into the public sector. First, from a juridical view, the jobless post-graduates who graduated before the end of 2011 are eligible to ask for a condition-free employment as stated in the first article of the decree N 02.100.11—a decree which was passed on April 8th, 2011. Second, the fact that corruption is widespread in Morocco, the jobless post-graduates doubt that all competitions are based on meritocracy. Third, if Moroccan universities grant degrees to those who merit them as stated already, then why should jobless graduates have to take an exam? One would say that they lack teaching experience, which, by implication, means that they are not capable of teaching. The simplest answer is that they can join training centers the same way others do. After all, not all of them are sent to teach. Everybody is usually employed in a sector, which fits his/her major.

With the gradual increase of the demonstrations of jobless graduates in Rabat, a number of people have been blaming them for not joining the private sector. But many overlook the reasons why they prefer to work in the public sector in lieu of the private one. The latter should be, in fact, called the sector of exploitation for many reasons. Most private companies overwork their employees and pay them very low salaries. Suffice to mention the fissure between teachers who work in private schools and those who work in public ones. No matter how high your degree, the salary you earn in a private school is very limited, yet the number of hours you work are too many. The situation is totally the opposite in public schools.

All in all, the problem of joblessness of Morocco is attributed to the weakness of the policies of the government. No government has ever thought of taking up the serious decisions to end this social manifestation. So long as employment is a constitutional right, competitive exams would never decrease joblessness in Morocco. They would widen the gap between the haves and the have nots. The jobless post-graduates are, however, ready to take competitive exams once meritocracy and democracy are brought into implementation.

Edited by Benjamin Villanti

Haddouchan Youssef holds a master’s degree in Cross-Cultural and Literary Studies from the University of Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdelah, fez. He can be reached here: [email protected]

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Morocco World News’ editorial policy.