Higher Education: Moroccan-British Commission Holds 3rd Meeting in Kénitra

24 March 2021 Printable Version

Kenitra - The Moroccan-British Higher Education Commission held its third meeting on Wednesday at Ibn Tofail University in Kénitra (UIT).

The meeting, officially launched by Minister delegate in charge of Higher Education, Driss Ouaouicha, and Ambassador of the United Kingdom Simon Martin, brought together senior officials of the sector, representatives of Moroccan and British universities and organizations working in this field, with the remote participation of the members of the commission.

Organized jointly by the Ministry Delegate for Higher Education and Scientific Research, the British Embassy and the British Council, the event was an opportunity to address issues related to education and scientific research, including transnational education, research partnerships and key strategic priorities for the two countries in the post-Covid-19 era.

In addition, the third meeting of the Moroccan-British commission was marked by the inauguration of a British Council digital library wall in the new premises of the Ibn Tofail University library. It offers free access to a unique collection of thousands of eBooks, audiobooks, podcasts, newspapers and magazines.

On this occasion, Minister Delegate in charge of higher education Driss Ouaouicha welcomed the launch of this digital library "which coincides with the inauguration of a high-quality library within the Ibn Tofail University, of which it will be the beating heart in the months and years to come".

"To this end, we are also required to digitize our works and our cultural heritage and make it available to readers in Morocco and elsewhere," he told the M24 channel.

For his part, British Ambassador to Morocco Simon Martin recalled that the strengthening of the Morocco-United Kingdom partnership in the field of education has always been of paramount importance for the Bilateral Commission on Higher Education, after its inaugural meeting in January 2020 in London.

"Education is now at the heart of a strong and dynamic bilateral relationship between the United Kingdom and Morocco," said a statement released after the meeting.

The British Council is setting up digital library walls at seven public universities across Morocco. In addition to the UIT, they are the universities of Abdelmalek Essaadi in Tetouan, Hassan I in Settat, Cadi Ayyad in Marrakech, Mohamed V in Rabat, Chouaib Dokkali in El Jadida and Al Akhawayn in Ifrane, he recalled.