High-profile representatives from Morocco’s Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, and Scientific Research met on Friday in Rabat with a World Bank Group delegation to discuss partnering on projects aimed at improving “the area of higher education” in Morocco, reported MAP, the Moroccan state media.
Representing Morocco were Minister of Education, Saaid Amzazi, and Delegate Minister for Higher Education and Scientific Research, Driss Ouaouicha. For its part, the World Bank Group was represented by Jesko Hentschel, the bank’s director for the Maghreb, and Xavier Reille, the Maghreb country director of the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
During the meeting, the two parties spoke about boosting scientific research in Morocco by raising the quality of advanced training and funding more innovative research projects in various fields, according to a statement by the ministry of education.
Laying out the Moroccan government’s vision to modernize the country’s education system and encourage innovation, Amzazi said that higher education and specialized training are an integral component of Morocco’s determination to improve its record on both human and economic development indicators.
Read also: UK, World Bank Sign Agreement to Help Morocco Improve Education
The ministry’s statement quoted Amzazi as stressing: “Higher education and scientific research, through training and promotion of human capital, can stimulate productivity and value creation and contribute to the emergence of economic and industrial hubs.”
Ouaouicha echoed the sentiment, explaining that research and high-level training-oriented investments are essential as Morocco looks to meet its many challenges once it has effectively tackled the pandemic-induced crisis.
The news comes as Morocco and the World Bank Group continue to strengthen their cooperation as part of a number of recently launched, ongoing post-COVID-19 recovery schemes.
The World Bank’s latest efforts to assist Morocco on its post-pandemic development recovery path include projects on gender equality, sustainable development, job security, and social security.
While the bank has hailed Morocco’s COVID-19 response and the accompanying socioeconomic measures, it has maintained that the North African country still has a long way to go on questions of social inequalities, economic resilience, and effective governance.
