Moroccan University Education: A History of a Failing Dualistic System

Abstract

The university's dualistic system and the intrusion of politics into Moroccan higher education began long before the French protectorate, with a long-lasting traditional education aimed at the elite. It then increased during the protectorate and after Moroccan independence. Since then, Moroccan higher education has undergone several reforms to improve the university’s educational system. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how most of these reforms resembled each other in their development and implementation processes: an ambitious political vision, long and difficult consultation with social partners, the promulgation of laws or the publication of administrative texts, media coverage that vacillates between support and defiance, and on the ground, a less than enthusiastic reception and implementation. Consequently, despite significant human and financial investments, the university remains trapped in a dualistic education favoring the limited admissions system over the open admissions’, thus increasing student attrition and unemployment.