Rabat - Minister of Higher Educational Lahcen Dadoudi rejected reports suggesting that universities in Morocco are to blame for graduate unemployment, arguing that this is “not realistic.”
Rabat – Minister of Higher Educational Lahcen Dadoudi rejected reports suggesting that universities in Morocco are to blame for graduate unemployment, arguing that this is “not realistic.”
Amid a growing number of unemployable university graduates, Lahcen Dadoudi, who spoke during a conference on Saturday in Rabat, defended Moroccan universities, saying they are not responsible for unemployment.
“We should stop saying that universities consume without producing. Indeed, there are problems, but universities are not held responsible for unemployment,” Daoudi argued.
The Minister admitted, however, that the quality of education Moroccan youth receive does not qualify them for jobs after graduation.
Statistics say the number of unemployed grew sharply in 2014, reaching 1,167,000 unemployed persons compared to 1,081,000 in 2013. 24.1 percent are graduates.
While discharging Moroccan universities from any responsibility for the rising rate of unemployment, Lahcen Daoudi seemed displeased with the level of scientific research in the universities.
The Higher Education Minister said that the advancement of scientific research does not necessarily require huge budgets as much as it needs creativity and innovation.
Last year, the Moroccan government allocated 570 million dirhams to fund scientific research projects for the 2014-2015 academic year.
© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission