Who is Rahma Bourqia, New Head of Morocco’s Higher Council for Education?

Rabat – King Mohammed VI today appointed Rahma Bourqia as the President of the Higher Council for Education, Training, and Scientific Research.

Born in 1949 in Khemisset, Bourqia is a well-known Moroccan academic and sociologist. She holds a doctorate in sociology from the University of Manchester in the UK and is a professor at Mohammed V University in Rabat. 

She previously made history as the first woman to serve as the president of a Moroccan university, leading Hassan II University in Mohammedia. She was also the first woman to become a member of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco.  

Bourqia has held several important positions in education and research. She was the director of the National Evaluation Authority at the Higher Education Council and a member of the National Committee for Program Accreditation and Evaluation at the Ministry of Higher Education. 

She also served on the advisory committee for the revision of the Moroccan family code, known as the Moudawana.

As a researcher, Bourqia has contributed significantly to the study of Moroccan society. She has published many articles and books in Arabic, French, and English about Morocco’s history and culture, such as “The State, Power and Society” and other feminist essays.

She has also worked as a visiting professor and lecturer at universities in the United States, Europe, and the Arab world. 

Bourqia was also recognized with an honorary degree honoris causa from Indiana State university in the USA in 2006, from Liege University in Belgium and from Université Paris Ouest Nanterre in France in 2010.

In addition to her academic work, Bourqia is an advisor to several international organizations and has coordinated research programs in Morocco and abroad.  

Her appointment as head of the Higher Council for Education reflects her long-standing contributions to Moroccan education and research.