In the media

A Moroccan court sentenced a university professor and four others for bribery and illegally selling master’s degree placements at Ibn Zohr University. The case highlighted the need for major reforms, including more transparency in admissions, stronger oversight, digital systems, and stricter anti-corruption measures to restore confidence in the education system.

Moroccan authorities arrested a university professor and six others in a master’s degree scam, involving sales for financial and political gain. The scandal highlights concern about transparency, protection for whistle-blowers, and integrity in degree awarding. Calls intensify for comprehensive investigations and reforms to restore academic and public trust.

Student unions have urged the Ministry of Higher Education to conduct a transparent investigation into the allocation of foreign scholarships. Allegations of favoritism and nepotism have surfaced, with lower-performing students being accepted while top students are denied. Of the 300 scholarships allocated annually to Mauritanian students in Morocco, 191 would have been misappropriated.

The Moroccan feminist activist group Collectif 490 has unveiled a new digital guidebook designed to combat the pervasive issue of sexual harassment encountered by students at universities throughout the Nation. The guide comes in response to an alarming 2019 study by Morocco’s High Planning Commission which found that one in five women have experienced violence while studying.