Maghreb countries seek to unify educational curricula
2009-06-11
Ministers from the Maghreb Union agreed to standardise their educational programmes and improve university standards. Students and teachers are hopeful this will lead towards greater co-operation in other fields.
By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia in Tunis – 11/06/09
 [Getty Images] The countries of the Maghreb agree to harmonise education. |
Maghreb officials announced their intentions on Tuesday (June 9th) to harmonise basic educational curricula in Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania. The General Secretariat of the Maghreb Union made the statement after its ninth meeting early this month in Tripoli.
According to the statement, the Maghreb Ministerial Council for Education and Higher Education will undertake practical steps including mutual accreditation of Maghreb university degrees, to allow more efficient academic transfers and research collaboration.
The ministers of education and other education and research experts also agreed on "preparing a model Maghreb textbook with common features and reference points".
"As to the attempt to unify the curricula, especially scientific curricula and even the cultural curricula, there will be work teams for our Maghreb countries who will work on unifying … [them]. This is in addition to the accreditation of scientific certificates on all levels, especially basic, middle and university education."
Algeria's Higher Education and Scientific Research Minister Rachid Harraoubia stressed the need to develop universities in the Arab Maghreb countries. "There are issues concerning the arid regions, health, water, cleaning the Mediterranean Sea. Therefore, there are common issues that we must attend to. In order to do so, Maghreb universities have to develop and to reach international standards."
Participants also agreed to address the mismatch between education and labour requirements, and school dropout rates. They vowed to provide greater access to higher education and scholarships to low-income students, and discussed developing workplace training and distance learning.
Hichem ben Ahmed, a high school teacher, expressed hope that the Maghreb dream would become true through the educational curricula. "Education may turn into a locomotive that leads us to the desired Maghreb Union station."
"I think it's a good idea and a breakthrough that takes us away from the world of politics and its complexities in order to build the Maghreb Union through the portal of knowledge, which is, in my opinion, the most important thing," he added.
His colleague Maher Kheyari called for avoiding the issues that give rise to disputes between Maghreb countries, "especially the issue of Sahara, which has turned into a clear obstacle that prevents the people of the same region from benefiting from its children's experiences and denies them the exchange of such experiences."
Student Ayda Ferchichi wondered whether this would give Maghreb youth greater opportunities in a broader work market.
Fellow student Magdi Hamidi welcomed the proposal of laying standards for university degree accreditation in the Maghreb region.
About five years ago, the Tunisian Bar Association rejected the admission of a group of law graduates from Algeria under the pretext that their certificates did not conform to Tunisian standards. The issue was finally resolved in court.
The Council of Ministers ratified the draft Maghreb-European Agreement for Teaching Arabic and Arab-Islamic Civilisation to Children of the Maghreb Community Living in EU Countries.
Up until now, each Maghreb country has provided free Arabic language and history classes to its expatriate community. The Council also recommended including youth issues in the Maghreb-European dialogue.
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عبدو الحامولي Posted 2009-06-12
Science is beyond the reach of Arabs today.
Anonymous Posted 2009-06-17
A half century after their independence, the leaders of the Maghreb have announced their intention to harmonise their primary education programmes. Fortunately, the ministers of the interior are working even faster: ever since the dawn of independence the have harmonised their use of torture. Read Sami Ben Aballah's blog "What Have You Done With Your Young People" in Gilbert Naccache's Editions du Cerf. You will learn that 40 years before the America started doing so, Tunisia used the practice of simulated drowning (waterboarding) and torture by electrical shock, and this was not against foreigners, but against its own citizens. As you see, their being behind is not universal to all domains.
bent casa Posted 2009-06-19
I think this is a good thing.
raddad Posted 2009-06-22
In reply to the words of Abdou Al Hamouli, I don't agree with him. He seems like everyone who doesn't want the good for Arabs. This what most vagabonds say who want to humiliate the Maghreb. I don't want to insult because I respect people and trust one can achieve what he wants. As to Moroccans, I trust them. Thank you. A nice article.
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