British Ambassador Honors Moroccan Chevening Students

Rabat – Britain’s Ambassador to Morocco Simon Martin honored a group of Moroccan students who studied in the UK under Chevening scholarships on Thursday evening.

The event, held in the ambassador’s residence, saw the handing out of certificates to the students, as well as speeches made by the ambassador and other people involved in the educational system.

Students were handed certificates during the event.

“It is true that those of you who studied with Chevening are a very small and select group,” Ambassador Simon Martin said during the event. “You are all making your contributions in your chosen fields and areas already, but we know you’ll be contributing more and more.”

The ambassador addressed the struggles that some of the students went through, studying under the COVID-19 pandemic. “You are the two years of study in the entire history of the Chevening program who witnessed studying in the UK under a pandemic,” he said.

“We know that it was very difficult for you,” he added. “I suspect that it was especially difficult for those who were studying abroad during this time. We congratulate you for your resilience and for your success in your studies in such different circumstances.”

Mohamed Tahiri, Director of Higher Education in the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, noted that partnerships with Britain and other international partners can help improve the Moroccan educational system.

“You are helping us to improve the quality of our educational system and the use of English in the educational system in Morocco,” Tahiri said. “We want our future professors to be academically prepared but higher education has to also be international.”

Mohamed Tahiri expressed the Ministry’s hopes of building a more international teaching body.

Morocco’s next generation of PhD holders, Tahiri said, should be internationally trained and educated, citing that as a hope for the ministry.

Tony Reilly, Country Director at the British Council in Rabat, also talked at the event, noting that 500,000 students from across the globe study in the UK, with 500,000 more studying at branch campuses, such as ones in Rabat and Casablanca.

Praise and accessibility

Students who attended the event praised their experience in the UK, and the experience with the Chevening scholarship program specifically.

“I’m confident to say that higher education in the UK is one of the best worldwide,” said Fatima Ezzahraa Habbat, who studied for a Master’s degree in Real Estate under the scholarship. She told MWN. “Being able to access so many resources, a great teaching body, and great facilities is such a privilege.”

“Having international exposure is such an asset that you can add to your learning experience,” she added. “It really widens your perspective, allows you to have a well established network and learn skills that you wouldn’t be able to learn if you stay in your comfort zone.”

“You gain some cultural diversity and know how to interact with all these citizens all over the world,” stated Yahya Laarous, who got an MBA in the UK with the scholarship. He told MWN that “it opened a big and wide room of new cultures and information. It was a successful experience.”

“University education is not cheap anywhere, and the same applies for the UK, so we realize that it needs to be good value,” Ambassador Martin told MWN. “Most people seem to think it is.”

“It’s not just about your academic background, although that would almost certainly be very good,” he added, addressing Moroccan students who hope to go abroad. “But it’s also about your vision for how you propose to use the studies that you pursue in the UK to help your country.”

The ambassador also expressed his hope to make British education more accessible to more Moroccans, particularly by opening campuses in Morocco.

“We realize there’s a very big demand, young Morocans are learning, wanting to speak and indeed study in English more and more,” he said. “We’re working very very hard with the ministry of higher education to see how we can create the opportunity for opening our first British university campus here in Morocco.”

Students in Ukraine

Britain’s ambassador also addressed the situation in Ukraine, expressing hope for the safety of any Moroccans still in the conflict zone.

“The plight of the nearly 10,000 Moroccan students who were stranded … to my mind, it gives you a very clear image of how this conflict affects people all over the world,” Martin told MWN.

“I’m afraid it’s not true that [the war] doesn’t affect Morocco,” he said, addressing the situation of Moroccans stranded in the conflict zone. “And there will be other implications too, we hope that the supplies of wheat, which Morocco imports from both these countries, will not be affected.”

The ambassador reiterated to MWN his country’s position regarding the conflict.

“My government is very clear that this is an unprovoked and unjustified attack,” he said. “We strongly believe that Russia has made a mistake. We very much hope that the fighting will stop very soon and that it will be possible to return to the situation we had before.”

The British Council’s Tony Reilly also shared similar sentiments.

“Let’s just spare a thought for the 10,000 Moroccan students who are studying in Ukraine,” Reilly said during his remarks. “We wish them and their families safety.”

Morocco has successfully evacuated thousands of Moroccans who were stuck in Ukraine, with Royal Air Maroc organizing repatriation flights at a price of 750 MAD ($77).