Latest news with #MohamedSaadBerrada
Ya Biladi
a day ago
- Business
- Ya Biladi
Morocco's National AI Conference highlights urgent need for training
Training public and private sector actors in artificial intelligence (AI) tools is essential to fully harness the potential of these emerging technologies, ministers said on Tuesday in Salé during the opening plenary of the National AI Conference. As AI becomes a key driver of competitiveness, training has become a critical requirement for turning this opportunity into a catalyst for sustainable and inclusive growth, the speakers emphasized. Mohamed Saad Berrada, Minister of National Education, Preschool, and Sports, underscored the importance of mastering AI tools to improve educational system management and tackle pressing challenges, particularly in processing data related to students and teachers. He cited AI's potential to personalize curricula, support continuous teacher training, enhance language learning, and help reduce absenteeism and dropout rates. Younes Sekkouri, Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment, and Skills, stressed that AI is a transformative force for the job market. In light of this shift, he said the government's role is to integrate AI within a tailored legal and regulatory framework that unlocks the full potential of society. Leila Benali, Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, highlighted the vital link between energy and AI: «Without energy, there are no servers, no data centers, and no AI», she said. Benali noted that Morocco plans to double its capacity for producing non-conventional energy in under five years—a leap equivalent to the progress made over the past three decades. Chakib Alj, President of the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), pointed to the urgent need to effectively implement Morocco's national AI strategy. He emphasized the private sector's need for skilled engineers and digital talent, praising the 1337 coding school as a successful model for training tech-savvy youth—a model, he suggested, that should be scaled up to meet evolving market demands.
Morocco World
2 days ago
- Sport
- Morocco World
Over 160,000 Middle School Students Drop Out Each Year, Says Education Minister
Berlin – More than 160,000 students drop out of middle school every year in Morocco, according to the Minister of National Education, Mohamed Saad Berrada. He shared the figure on Monday during a session at the House of Representatives. 'These are children without schooling, without training, and often without support in difficult environments,' said the minister during the weekly parliamentary questions. Berrada linked this high dropout rate to incidents of violence around sports stadiums. He said that many young people involved in these disturbances are those who have left school early and spend time around stadium areas. To address safety concerns ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the 2030 FIFA World Cup, the minister announced that all stadiums hosting matches will be equipped with surveillance cameras to help identify those responsible for acts of vandalism. On other education issues, Berrada explained that overcrowding at the primary level has been addressed, but still exists at the middle and high school levels, with a current overcrowding rate of 12%. This, he said, is not due to a shortage of teachers, but to population growth in specific urban areas such as Beni Makada in Tangier, Médiouna, and Nouaceur in Casablanca. Rural areas are less affected by overcrowding, but face different challenges. In these rural regions, multigrade classrooms, where one teacher handles several grade levels, are still common. The minister said that the development of community schools will eventually allow for the end of this system, which is often seen as less effective. The figures and statements reflect the broader difficulties Morocco faces in keeping students engaged in the education system, particularly in the middle school years and in rapidly growing urban districts. Tags: drop out of schoolsEducation in Moroccovandalism
Morocco World
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Experts Gather at UM6P to Bridge Research and Policy on Climate, Education, Jobs
Rabat – The Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) in Rabat brought together researchers, policymakers, and international experts for a major conference focused on how scientific research can help create better public policies in Morocco. The event was organized in partnership with the Morocco Innovation and Evaluation Lab (MEL) and explored the theme: 'Research in the Service of Development: Climate Change, Education, and Employment in Morocco.' The conference aimed to show how research and evidence can be used to guide decisions, especially in areas that matter most for Morocco's future: climate change and agriculture, education, and employment. These are also the main fields where MEL is currently supporting pilot projects and evaluations across the country. In his opening speech, UM6P President Hicham El Habti shared his vision for the role of research in society. He spoke of the importance of connecting science with action, noting that Morocco's development challenges – climate change, education, and employment – are deeply connected. UM6P President Hicham El Habti 'We often list them as separate priorities, but in reality, they are deeply interconnected. The way we educate influences who gains employment, the jobs we create affect how we manage our land and water, and how we respond to climate stress will challenge every institution we have,' El Habti explained. In this respect, he said we must stop treating complex issues with simple solutions. Habti explained that MEL's goal is not just to produce more analysis, but to serve as a bridge between research and real decisions. The aim is 'to build a culture where decision-making is informed by more than instinct,' but guided by evidence turned into decisions that are 'politically possible, socially inclusive and technically sound.' Evidence-based education reform Following the president's speech, Morocco's Minister of Education, Mohamed Saad Berrada, spoke about the crucial role of evidence in shaping effective and lasting education reforms. 'We are now convinced that when properly used, evidence is much more than just a technical tool. It is a major lever for sustainable transformation in Moroccan education and for the development of our country,' Berrada said. Morocco's Minister of Education, Mohamed Saad Berrada, While acknowledging the challenges of running evaluations during ongoing reforms, due to logistical and organizational complexities, he admitted the importance of having a reliable system to guide decisions. 'We chose to take on this challenge in order to have a reliable compass that allows us to quickly adjust what needs to be adjusted, while maintaining the momentum of reform and ensuring steady progress year after year,' the minister explained. 'We must act fast on climate' Keynote speaker Esther Duflo, Nobel Prize-winning economist, MIT professor, and co-founder of the Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), focused on how to design smart, effective policies in a world facing climate change. Duflo said that climate change is especially dangerous for low- and middle-income countries like Morocco. These countries are already very hot and dry, and as the planet warms, they will face even more extreme heat, which is harmful to both health and agriculture, she explained. She also pointed out that poor people suffer the most from climate change, because they often work outside and lack basic protections like air conditioning or stable housing. Keynote speaker Esther Duflo, Nobel Prize-winning economist, MIT professor, and co-founder of the Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) Duflo warned that while climate finance is available globally, very little of it goes to poor countries, and even less is spent on helping them adapt. 'Unfortunately, there is very little climate finance targeted towards poor countries. And of this climate finance, almost none of it is targeted towards adaptation and compensation,' she says. Duflo called for more research to understand which policies deliver results. 'We don't have a lot of time to figure things out by following the wrong policy for 10 years,' she said. Instead, she stated that we need to quickly test new ideas, focus on what works, stop what doesn't, and scale up successful solutions. She also noted that climate adaptation research is far behind and called on Morocco to become a hub for innovation in this field. What MEL is doing in Morocco We also spoke to Florencia Devoto, the Director of MEL, who shared more about the lab's mission and current work. MEL was launched in 2024 at UM6P in partnership with J-PAL at MIT and the Harvard Center for International Development. MEL's goal is to help improve public programs through careful evaluation, Devoto explained. 'We want to show decision makers how important it is to evaluate in order to improve the programs that we implement to foster development in Morocco,' she explained. Florencia Devoto, the Director of MEL Devoto noted the close partnership with the Ministry of Education. MEL is helping the ministry measure the impact of a new teaching reform aimed at improving student learning. 'Their goal is to improve learning, and we are working with them. We created an evaluation system that allows us to accurately tell the ministry to what extent learning is improving among children,' she explained. She added that this same approach could be used in other areas like employment and climate policy. Making research useful Rema Hanna, a professor at Harvard Kennedy School and MEL's scientific director, also spoke with us during the conference. She explained how the role of researchers is changing. 'Back in the day, you would think of professors as sitting in their office and doing academic work. And I think now a lot of the younger professors like myself really want to work with policy partners,' Hanna said. She explained the importance of involving local decision-makers in the research process from the beginning, adding that if policymakers are part of the process, then the research becomes something they can use. Rema Hanna, a professor at Harvard Kennedy School and MEL's scientific director Hanna was particularly excited about Morocco's efforts in education, especially the strong push to innovate in schools and rethink how students learn and how teachers teach. For her, this kind of collaboration between researchers and policymakers is the key to real progress. After the opening speeches, the conference continued with three panels focused on MEL's pilot projects in Morocco. The first panel, on climate and agriculture, featured discussions about testing and scaling up farming methods that can withstand climate stress, particularly in regions already experiencing droughts and high temperatures. The education panel showcased research experiments measuring how various types of teacher support impact student success. The final panel centered on employment, addressing job training programs, the development of soft skills, and ways to better match young people with opportunities in the labor market. These panels showed how research can be practical and useful, providing real insights into what's working and where improvements are needed. Tags: ClimateEducationemploymenypolicyresearchUM6P
Morocco World
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Morocco World
Prince Moulay Rachid Chairs Extraordinary General Assembly of Royal Moroccan Golf Federation
Rabat – Prince Moulay Rachid presided over the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Royal Moroccan Golf Federation (FRMG) held Monday in Rabat. Convened in accordance with the FRMG's statutes, the meeting brought together members of the Executive Committee as well as club representatives. Also in attendance were Mohamed Saad Berrada, Minister of National Education, and Faïçal Laraïchi, President of the Moroccan National Olympic Committee, according to a statement from the Federation. In his opening address, Prince Moulay Rachid, President of the FRMG, commended the performance of the national junior teams, recently recognized in continental competitions. These achievements reflect the results of a long-standing policy based on strong investment in youth, the statement added. In 2025, a new sports policy aims to support Moroccan youth through pathways of excellence throughout Morocco. All stakeholders in the golf community are expected to support and inspire this youth and to provide them with an environment conducive to their growth. The prince recalled that this vision was initially outlined in his address to the 2019 Ordinary General Assembly, during which he also emphasized the vital role of the caddie profession. The rollout of social coverage has marked a major social advancement for all Moroccans. In this context, Prince Moulay Rachid noted the importance of extending this social protection (compulsory health insurance, pensions, and others) to a significant population central to the national golf ecosystem, namely the caddies. The social and professional recognition of caddies is considered a strategic lever for the qualitative development of golf tourism. Prince Moulay Rachid has expressed a firm commitment to preserving the caddie profession and ensuring universal social coverage for its members. In this spirit, a circular has been issued to safeguard this traditional profession, ensure the dignity of those who practice it, protect golf courses over the long term, and enhance the golfing experience in Morocco. The implementation of these measures will require continuous consultation with clubs. To oversee this process, the FRMG has established a commission tasked with executing this major step forward in coordination with representatives of the golfing ecosystem and actors in Morocco's social security sector. In this context, two memorandums of understanding were signed in the presence of the prince. The first, concluded between the FRMG and representatives of golf clubs across Morocco, sets out the organizational framework and principles for structuring the caddie profession on a national scale. The second, signed with the National Pension and Insurance Fund (CNRA), outlines support mechanisms to implement the social coverage plan for caddies, including the creation of a dedicated support fund. In concluding his speech, Prince Moulay Rachid reaffirmed his commitment to the sustainable development of Moroccan golf, calling for an ecological transition based on the use of treated wastewater for course irrigation. Following this, the assembly opened the floor for exchanges with members, in a spirit of dialogue, transparency, and collaboration. (MWN with MAP) Tags: GolfMorocco sportsPrince Moulay RachidRoyal Moroccan Golf Federation
Morocco World
05-06-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
Morocco Brings Digital Classrooms to Rural Schools in National Expansion Drive
Rabat – Morocco's Ministry of National Education signed a landmark partnership with Fondation Al Mada on Wednesday to bring digital tools and training to hundreds of rural schools across the country. The agreement, signed in the town of Fqih Ben Salah by Minister Mohamed Saad Berrada and Al Mada President Hassan Ouriagli, signals a major expansion of the 'Connected Classrooms – Dir Iddik' initiative. Launched last year, the project strives to turn digital technology into a real lever for educational fairness and innovation in Morocco's most underserved areas. At the heart of this collaboration lies a shared conviction that children in remote schools deserve the same access to 21st-century learning tools as their peers in cities. The initiative originally equipped 30 schools across six regions, and it has already reached more than 12,000 students since March 2024. With the second phase now underway, the target has more than doubled. By 2026, over 30,000 pupils are expected to benefit from new digital classrooms in at least 100 rural schools covering all 12 of Morocco's regions. The plan does not stop at installing equipment or providing internet access. The program places equal weight on training teachers and introducing students to coding, robotics, and even the basics of artificial intelligence. Teachers will receive in-depth training through the ministry's 'Everyone Can Code Caravan' initiative, which helps them run interactive workshops in rural classrooms. In a parallel effort, Injaz Morocco, a non-profit organization, will introduce students to financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and local economic practices. The goal is to prepare children to understand technology and navigate the world beyond the school gates. Berrada explained that the government's broader school reform initiative already included 52 pilot schools with connected classrooms between 2023 and 2025. This new agreement seeks to build on that momentum and extend support to dozens more institutions. Executives from the program's corporate partners attended the ceremony, including Inwi CEO Azzedine El Mountassir Billah and Managem CEO Imad Toumi. All three partners have roots in rural Morocco, and the initiative reflects a deeper commitment to the regions where they operate. What began as a small pilot now looks like the foundation for a national shift in rural education. In many of the schools already involved, students who once worked with chalkboards now use tablets. Teachers who never taught coding now lead workshops on robotics. While the expansion of digital classrooms in rural Morocco is a commendable step toward modernizing education and reducing inequality, it does not address the deeper, more pressing challenges many children still face. In vast rural areas, thousands of students remain out of school altogether, either because classrooms are miles away, roads are poor, or families rely on their children to help with farm work or income-generating activities. Without tackling these fundamental barriers, access, poverty, and infrastructure, the benefits of digital tools risk reaching only a fraction of those who need them most. Tags: Digitaldigital educationEducationMoroccoMorocco education
