Rabat – Morocco’s Minister of Higher Education, Azzedine El Midaoui, announced a new vision for overhauling the national university system, aimed at reinforcing transparency, strengthening training standards, and expanding linguistic openness within higher education institutions.
Speaking before the Education, Culture, and Communication Committee of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, El Midaoui said the ministry has introduced “strict pedagogical controls” to regulate master’s programs across universities.
The reform introduces a more structured selection process by empowering department heads and institutional leaders, while reducing the powers previously held by master’s coordinators to limit potential abuses.
The minister revealed that Morocco currently holds around 45,000 master’s students, compared to roughly 540,000 in France, pointing to the need for better regulation and expansion.
El Midaoui also announced a new framework for appointing university presidents, based on detailed specifications defining eligibility and selection criteria.
The process, he said, was developed in consultation with educational partners and will now involve a shortlist of seven candidates in the final phase. “The number of nominations is very large, over 30 each year, which makes the process cumbersome,” he explained.
Free higher education “not open to debate”
The minister firmly reaffirmed that higher education in Morocco will remain free of charge. “Free higher education is a settled issue and not open to debate,” he said, emphasizing that the framework law on education and scientific research has “irrevocably settled” this principle.
He warned that any attempt to challenge it would be rejected by the Higher Council for Education and Training, which safeguards constitutional and legal provisions.
El Midaoui also addressed growing concerns over unrecognized continuing education programs offered by some universities for fees. He noted that while many of these courses take place on weekends, they often result in certificates that appear equivalent to state-recognized degrees.
To counter misuse, the ministry will require that the term “continuing education” be clearly indicated on all such certificates to prevent them from being used for employment or promotion.
The minister said the issue has led to multiple court cases involving professors and administrators accused of issuing illegal certificates. He added that the ministry has introduced an official “facilitated training” framework allowing employees to pursue accredited programs leading to recognized qualifications.
Gradual shift to English
Turning to language policy, El Midaoui stressed that English has become an “urgent necessity” in Moroccan universities, particularly in scientific and technical disciplines.
He cited the dominance of English in global scientific research and the difficulty of publishing in French-language journals.
The transition, however, will be gradual. English instruction will first expand to third- and fourth-year undergraduate students in science programs, before being fully adopted in master’s and doctoral studies in fields such as physics and biology.
The reforms, he concluded, aim to position Moroccan universities as transparent, accountable, and internationally competitive institutions capable of meeting global academic standards.
