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Midaoui Insists on Revoking Licenses of Private Universities in Violation of the Law
Azeddine Midaoui, the Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Innovation, firmly upheld the provision allowing for the temporary or permanent revocation of licenses from private higher education institutions that do not comply with the conditions under which the license was granted or in cases where all training programs have been withdrawn or not renewed. This decision comes after consulting the National Committee for the Coordination of Higher Education.
Midaoui explained that Article 21 of Draft Law No. 59.24, concerning higher education and scientific research, currently undergoing approval in the Council of Advisors, stipulates that these institutions will be evaluated every four years to verify their compliance with licensing conditions, alongside being subjected to regular monitoring.
The minister’s stance was a response to a proposal by parliamentary advisors Khalid Setti and Labna Alawi from the National Union of Labor in Morocco, which aimed to remove the phrase “by force of law” from the same article; however, this amendment was withdrawn after the government rejected it.
Setti justified the proposal during a meeting of the Education, Cultural, and Social Affairs Committee, which was dedicated to debating amendments and voting on the draft law, by emphasizing the necessity of subjecting license revocation to administrative procedures that ensure the rights of all parties, including the right to appeal and resort to the judiciary.
However, the minister rejected the amendment, asserting the need to address non-compliant institutions with strictness, emphasizing that adherence to legal standards protects serious institutions from any decision to revoke their licenses, while also ensuring firmness towards those who misuse their licenses, safeguarding higher education from becoming a commercial enterprise.
Midaoui noted that the draft law includes other provisions that protect stakeholders’ rights, such as the possibility of judicial recourse and the principle of gradual decision-making, along with accompanying regulatory measures.
Regarding the qualified teachers, the minister clarified that a performance framework will be adopted that is based on time allocations rather than individual performance, to avoid restricting recognized private universities.
He added that if a teacher works, for instance, a thousand hours in a specific training program, only 500 hours will be counted based on the established logic, while allowing them the freedom to manage the remaining hours.
Additionally, Midaoui indicated that the draft law would include a provision enabling researchers from public higher education to participate in training at private higher education institutions, provided they obtain permission from the relevant university president in the case of a university institution, or from the head of the sector if it is program-specific.
