In its 2023 annual report, published in the Official Bulletin, the Court of Auditors devoted a large part to the evaluation of the system of regulation and control of private higher education in Morocco. Although this sector has experienced quantitative growth for several years, particularly with the proliferation of establishments, the report highlights serious organizational, academic and administrative inadequacies. These dysfunctions, according to the Court, compromise both the quality of education and its contribution to the socio-economic development of the country.
The Court of Auditors’ report highlights a booming private higher education sector, with 196 establishments for the 2022-2023 academic year, of which 67 are part of ten private universities. Approximately 66,817 students are enrolled, almost half of whom (49%) are women.
The number of graduates reaches 13,930, of which 2,163 (15%) are foreign students. The sector employs 6,925 teachers, including 2,499 (36%) as permanent teachers, representing 11% of the total teachers in higher education, while 4,426 (64%) are part-time teachers. In addition, 3,622 administrative and technical executives support the proper functioning of these establishments, or 25% of all employees in the sector, according to data from the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation for year 2022-2023.
The control mission carried out by the Court of Auditors focused on the evaluation of the system of control and regulation of private higher education, mainly covering the period from 2010 to 2022. This mission resulted in observations and recommendations concerning the general framework of the private higher education sector, the design and implementation of the regulation and control system of this sector, as well as its effective practice.
Despite this expansion, the Court observes that regulation of the sector remains insufficient, which results in structural shortcomings, a lack of rigorous monitoring and limited control of quality standards in these establishments.
Major gaps in administrative and educational control
One of the most critical findings of the report concerns the inadequacy of the control mechanisms put in place by the supervisory ministry. On average, only 3% of private higher education establishments are subject to annual audits. Certain establishments, located in particular in Marrakech, Settat and Berrechid, have not been inspected for more than 10 years. This administrative deficiency has allowed several structures to operate with complete impunity, sometimes without legal authorization or with extensions that do not comply with current regulations.
Furthermore, although the law requires establishments to produce an annual activity report detailing their academic and administrative performance, very few respect this obligation. The lack of follow-up of these reports by the authorities further accentuates the opacity of the sector, the report raises.
The Court of Auditors’ report also denounces the low educational quality in several private establishments. He emphasizes that the criteria for granting licenses, accreditation and recognition of diplomas lack rigor. In the absence of in-depth verifications and regular controls, some programs do not meet the needs of the job market and international academic standards.
The quality of supervision is also a major concern. The Court of Auditors noted that several private establishments operate with underqualified teaching staff, sometimes without the diplomas required to provide university-level courses. In addition, the teacher/student ratio, considered very unbalanced in certain structures, does not allow effective educational monitoring.
Moving on to the National Agency for Evaluation and Quality Assurance of Higher Education (ANEAQ), responsible for evaluating establishments, which plays a central but limited role according to the report of the Court of Auditors. The latter emphasizes that its missions are often reduced to advisory opinions, without binding power. In this sense, the Court recommends strengthening the prerogatives of ANEAQ in order to enable it to ensure effective monitoring of the quality of training and to sanction establishments in violation.
What the Court of Auditors recommends
Faced with these findings, the Court of Auditors proposes several structured recommendations to reform the private higher education sector. Thus, the Court recommends the creation of an independent regulatory and monitoring body. This structure must ensure rigorous monitoring of establishments, verify their compliance with the rules and apply sanctions in the event of failure.
Also, the Court recommends improving administrative control mechanisms, with systematic annual controls and unannounced inspections to combat irregularities. It also recommends strengthening the criteria for accreditation and recognition of diplomas, noting that the evaluation process must be more rigorous, with periodic audits to ensure the quality of the training offered.
In addition, the Court of Auditors recommends encouraging public-private partnerships and calls for better integration of private establishments into the national system, while guaranteeing the equity and quality of courses.
Finally, the Jurisdiction recommends strengthening the role of ANEAQ by granting it executive power to impose strict standards and sanction observed failures.
