In Tangier, Ali learned German with a clear objective: to continue his studies abroad. In the linguistic center where he studies, he is surrounded by young people who, like him, dream of training outside the Cherifian kingdom. “I would like to be able to stay in Morocco but the opportunities are limited and the salaries insufficient to lead a stable life. You have to fight to be able to feed yourself. If the borders were open, everyone would leave»assures the 23-year-old Moroccan with a slender silhouette and a hooded sweatshirt.
His father, a hotel worker, and his mother, an unemployed teacher, were never able to travel due to lack of funds. He is part of Generation Z, fed up with American series and hyperconnected with the rest of the world. He also masters English much better than the French language, inherited from the protectorate period and neglected by the youngest. In a few months, when he has obtained an advanced level German certificate (B2), Ali will fly to Berlin, where he plans a three-year work-study program in management or mechanical engineering. “Germany is so much more accessible than France, Spain or the United Kingdom, countries which require considerable resources!” exclaims the young man, holder of a Bac + 2.
Justify 7,300 euros in an account
To be able to study in France, Moroccan students must have an amount of approximately 78,000 dirhams (or 7,300 euros) per year available in a bank account in their name or that of their guarantor. A sum out of reach for the majority of Moroccans, the average salary in the kingdom not exceeding 17,500 dirhams (1,500 euros). Ali assures that his monthly income in Germany – between 800 and 1,500 euros – will cover daily living expenses and access what he calls “The Moroccan Dream” (“The Moroccan dream”) : “Have a house, a car and get married.”
More and more Moroccan students are pursuing their higher studies outside the borders of the kingdom. No less than 74,000 of them made this choice in 2022, according to a recent UNESCO report. A significant figure which nevertheless represents barely 6% of the total students, illustrating the socially selective nature of this migration. “This type of mobility, like others, requires considerable financial resourcesconfirms Hicham Jamid, post-doctoral researcher at the Research Institute for Development (IRD). Increasingly restrictive migration policies in destination countries further complicate the situation, making access to international education even more difficult.”
“Real competition”
France remains, by far, the country which welcomes the largest number of Moroccan students abroad. They also represent the leading nationality of foreign students in France (46,000 in 2021), ahead of Algerians (31,000) and Chinese (27,400), according to data from Campus France. Their presence stands out in particular in engineering schools as well as in business schools. The scholarship envelope dedicated to the Shereef kingdom is also the largest in the French diplomatic network, making it possible to support around 900 Moroccan students. During his state visit to Rabat, from October 28 to 30, Emmanuel Macron insisted on the importance of this cooperation, committing to strengthening partnerships in university training in strategic sectors such as digital, artificial intelligence, industry, and sustainable development.
Moroccan student migration to France, which has its roots in the colonial period, nevertheless faces competition from other countries since Rabat diversified its international partnerships and strengthened its links beyond its traditional allies. “Increased competition from certain countries in terms of university attractiveness is real”points out a Campus France report from November 2023, which mentions Spain, Germany, Canada (notably Quebec), Great Britain, the United States and Belgium. “However, it is difficult to know the strategies implemented. These main competitors are still on mobility flows well below France and are currently positioning themselves on the concerns represented on the one hand by the Franco-Moroccan diplomatic tension and on the other hand by the policy of restricting the issuance of visas operated by France.” In 2015 and 2020, for example, the reception of Moroccan students in Germany increased by 67%.
China, Romania and Senegal
At the Abdelmalek Essaâdi public university in Tangier, a sprawling building which accommodates more than 130,000 students across its various campuses, France is in fact no longer the only choice for young Moroccans wishing to continue their academic studies outside the country. . At 19, Narjiss, a discreet student with long brown hair and thick square glasses, has just started her first year of law at the faculty. Passionate about English literature, this daughter of a police officer and a cook wants at all costs to continue her studies abroad. She has several options in mind, but France is not one of them. “My number one choice would be Philadelphia! But I heard that countries like China and Russia offer interesting scholarships to Moroccans.”
An observation shared at the media library of the French Institute, in the city center of Tangier, where around ten young Moroccans revise in a studious atmosphere. “Many friends still dream of France, but it is no longer necessarily the only option. It is much easier to go to Germany, Spain or Canada”explains Salhia, 17, who is taking her baccalaureate this year. The high school student's choice is more towards Hungary or China.
Racism in France
According to the Moroccan platform Tawjeeh Sup, specializing in guidance, tuition fees in China, where the number of Moroccan students today amounts to several thousand, are much lower than in Europe or the United States. : between 1,700 and 3,300 euros per year, accommodation included. “Like China, new destinations are gaining popularity. Before the start of the war, Ukraine was the second preferred destination for Moroccan students. Now, they can be found all over the world: in Canada, the United States, England, China, Romania, and many are heading to other African countries such as Senegal, where a large community of Moroccans have been training in medicine and pharmacy for several decades already”lists Hicham Jamid.
In front of the building of the private El Hak institute, which offers training to become a dental prosthetist, Marana, Chaimae and Aïcha, aged between 20 and 22, talk about another “issue” French : “We sometimes hear in the media that Moroccans experience racism, that they are not very well received. We don’t want to be discriminated against because we wear the hijab.” The three students hope to get a job in Morocco as soon as they finish their training so that they can stay and live in their native country.
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