Rabat – A survey conducted by The Social and Media Studies Institute in Morocco found that 80% of PhD holders do not trust the mechanisms in place to recruit assistant professors in the higher education sector.
Of the 14,000 scholars questioned in the survey, 80% said they do not trust the hiring process, while 15% said they “somewhat” trust it, and only 5% expressed faith in the recruitment process.
In addition, over 73% of the respondents said that the official criteria for recruiting professors was not followed this year, with only 5% saying the criteria was respected, and 20% saying they did not know.
An overwhelming 93% of respondents said they would prefer to receive detailed information about candidates’ publication history in the future, and for academic activities to be made available resulting in a more transparent process.
Close to 7% said they would not prefer this idea as it could “create controversy.”
Respondents cited cases of nepotism and bribery in the sector as main reasons behind their lack of trust.
Over 88% of those who obtained their PhD in the last year said they have not had a chance to go through the oral recruitment interview, with only 3% saying that they have had two chances at the interview.
Notably, 65% of respondents said they see immigration as one of the most effective ways to achieve their goal of becoming a university professor, highlighting the brain drain problem that Morocco has been suffering from.
