Lhe transformation support program for a Moroccan, digital, entrepreneurial and inclusive university (UM4.O) is a large-scale project containing many promises intended to propel the Moroccan educational landscape to a higher rank. At the end of May, the African Development Bank (AfDB) supported this program by approving financing of 120 million euros.
But what exactly is UM4.0 based on? Firstly, this program aims to digitalize educational and scientific research services for students and teachers, in particular guidance, e-learning and career management platforms, in addition to the deployment of an IT infrastructure and a data center. Secondly, the UM4.0 program consists of the construction and equipment of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Béni Mellal with a capacity of 4,500 places.
In addition to the construction of 5 university campuses of 1,500 beds each in Larache, Oujda, Safi, Taroudant and Béni Mellal as well as the establishment of 10 agile coding centers developing active learning centered on projects. Likewise, it aspires to train recently hired higher education teachers, in addition to the preparation of decision support tools for the management, monitoring and evaluation of the higher education, research and development system. ‘innovation. Khalid Karbaoui, university professor and entrepreneurship expert, considers that Moroccan universities face a double constraint.
“The first is linked to our very unsatisfactory rankings among universities in the world. The second relates to the problem of young graduates which taints the credibility of our universities. A study by McKinsey estimates that by 2030, 800 million jobs will disappear worldwide in favor of technological innovations, while Dell and the “Institute for the Future” affirm that 85% of jobs in 2030 will not do not yet exist today,” he explains.
Thus, he believes that the UM4.0 project should allow “our students easy access to technology and to acquire necessary knowledge for better future integration into the job market. But to do this, all stakeholders in the socio-economic world should get involved to make this project a success. “Educational structures within universities and schools should adapt and reorganize to lead this change.” Karbaoui also affirms that taking stock of the first year of this project remains difficult, but certain dysfunctions linked to its implementation are already known.
“On a technical level, the “Rosetta Stone” platform is experiencing numerous incidents, which would prevent students from following distance learning courses on this platform. The same goes for the “e-campus” network which often experiences technical breakdowns. Also, the 2023–2024 academic year was marked by the opening of new generation licenses and excellence licenses, thus replacing fundamental licenses and professional licenses. These new licenses contain interesting modules to allow students to develop technical, digital and language skills. However, their opening was not accompanied by any logistical support.
Several higher education establishments do not have rooms sufficiently equipped to teach digital technology and new technologies. As for the degrees in exact sciences, they did not have the necessary funding agreed to carry out the supervised work in the laboratories and in the field. Also, these licenses provide for a significant teaching program in soft skills, but our universities are experiencing a severe lack of teachers in this subject,” he explains.
12 entrepreneurship support centers
Another, not least, commitment of the UM4.0 program is based on the establishment of career centers in universities (on-site and online support services), for the benefit of 130,000 students. Other figures reveal the establishment of 12 professional integration units at university level, but also the creation of 12 entrepreneurship support centers for 15,000 students. Also, 20,000 students will have the opportunity to have their entrepreneurial skills certified.
“The idea of creating 12 support centers within universities is part of the challenge of higher education to offer a learning environment capable of creating entrepreneurship with a view to establishing a culture entrepreneurial. These support structures play an important role in the acquisition of generic skills, but also specific skills. They are acquired through awareness-raising actions, training and personalized support for young people in their projects. To do this, the university is called upon to transform itself to transform knowledge and theoretical and critical knowledge into knowledge considered as a tool in the service of employability,” adds Karbaoui.
And to continue: “To this end, the reform of the mode of governance and organization will have to accelerate. It is important to emphasize that entrepreneurship training must be broad and accessible. For their part, the teachers concerned are required to carry out a real upgrade in order to effectively train this generation on entrepreneurship. As a result, better working conditions and opportunities will result in order to better support this major change. Furthermore, the creation of a network which associates these support centers with economic and territorial actors is essential to succeed in this promising project which carries with it the challenge of knowledge and know-how.
Ultimately, the AfDB evaluation report indicates that the UM4.0 program includes three main result areas, notably improving the training offer and environment, with an indicative allocation of 64 million euros (53.47%), the digitalization of an innovative Moroccan university, with an allocation of 50.7 million euros (42.35%), and the promotion of excellence, entrepreneurship and employability, with an allocation of 5 million euros (4.18%).
