Rabat – Hamid Nabil became Morocco’s first visually-impaired student to get a doctorate degree in English Studies on Friday from Rabat’s Mohammed V University.
While it is not uncommon for visually impaired individuals to obtain doctorate degrees in Morocco, Hamid Nabil has set a precedent by preparing and defending his doctorate thesis in the field of English studies.
The scholar’s thesis focused on a cross-study assessing Moroccans’ reception of radio broadcasts through a comparative case study covering four radio stations.
Titled “Moroccans’ Representation and Attitudes Towards Radio Broadcast,” the thesis studies the reception of two-state run radio stations including Mohammed VI Qoran radio station and private radio stations MFM and Aswat.
“Hamid’s experience is a unique one, especially taking into consideration the multitude of challenges he had to face,” Amina Lalam, Nabil’s advisor, told the media.
Lalam equally explained to the press that physically-challenged individuals are especially neglected in terms of first-class education and across sectors in Morocco. “Nabil got where he is now through sheer will and desire,” the advisor added.
She also spoke of the disturbing details of how a professor refused to collaborate with her on supervising Nabil’s thesis, resulting in a one-year delay for Nabil.
Facing the rejection only made Lalam more determined to be Nabil’s advisor, she told a local news outlet.
“Nabil’s thesis deals with a contemporary issue worthy of academic attention, especially that Nabil holds a professional licence degree from a journalism institute,” she explained.
Nabil’s diligent work yielded both socially significant results — his thesis being based on over 500 questionnaires — and expert input, the advisor concluded.
Hamid Nabil dedicated his thesis to physically challenged individuals, stating that a strong will is what sets people apart regardless of physical impairment.
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