Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
October 6, 2007

Morocco inks environment accord with Islamic organisation.
02/10/2007

The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO) and the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Protection of the Environment signed an environmental co-operation agreement on Monday (October 1st), MAP and KUNA reported. The accord covers a programme of various educational, scientific and cultural activities, including environmental workshops in rural Moroccan schools, the organisation of an environmental photo contest in high schools, coastal waters and marine environment protection and oases protection and development. The programme also envisions an international conference on the management of water resources, regional workshops on the assessment of the impact of tourism on the environment and the application of environmental legislation in Maghreb countries. http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2007/10/02/newsbrief-04
----------------------------------------------------

King inaugurates USD 350,000 training center for children.
Fes (200km east of Rabat), Oct. 5

King Mohammed VI of Morocco inaugurated, here Friday, a USD-350,000 training center for children, set up by the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity. The new facility will accommodate street children as well as children from poor areas. It will provide them with pedagogical studies and training programs aimed at enabling them to have right professional qualifications to join the job market. It will also provide medical care through an emergency medical unit. The center includes workshops of hairdressing, electricity and aesthetics, an IT room, two classrooms, a library, an administration and a room of first aid.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/box1/king_inaugurates_usd8656/view
----------------------------------------------------

Some 12,000 breast cancer cases are documented each year in Morocco.
Casablanca, Oct. 3

Anti-breast cancer association Coeurs de femmes (Women's hearts) said about twelve thousand cases of breast cancer are detected in Morocco each year, and that the diseases kill 19% of its patients. The association is launching the second one-month national campaign to raise the awareness of the women and the public opinion as to the importance of the early and regular screening of this illness in order to reduce its frequency, a statement of the association said. Coeurs de femmes said it will create a special website to enable women to be best informed about the disease, which is the most common cancer and most common cause of cancer death among women.

In late June, Morocco opened the first breast cancer screening center using the mammography technology in Morocco and the Middle East. The center is expected to provide high-quality screening services (mammography) for approximately 1000 women in the Rabat region to extend in the future to the rest of the country. According to figures released by the World Health Organization, over a million people suffer breast cancer in the world. The study also suggests that mammography screening may reduce breast cancer mortality by 25-30 per cent. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/some_12000_breast_c/view
----------------------------------------------------

New initiatives boost higher education in Morocco .
By Sarah Touahri  30/09/2007

The number of people enrolling in Morocco's institutions of higher learning is on the rise, benefitting from programmes to encourage students and to lessen their financial burdens. The number of university students in Morocco is up 8% year-on-year, with 289,000 students enrolled in higher education courses for the academic year 2007-2008 compared with 267,000 the previous year. The students attend a wide variety of universities, schools of higher education and technical colleges. Some 90,000 new baccalaureate holders opted to enrol in universities this year.

The Ministry of Higher Education, Training and Scientific Research says the 2007-2008 academic year is seeing a number of new initiatives aimed at boosting higher education. The main focus is on building up infrastructure, with a new university in Beni Mellal and four new higher education institutions: two business and management schools in Fez and Mohammedia, a higher institute of technology in Berrechid and a school of engineering in Khouribga.

Another new feature is an increase in the number of courses, 47% of which are vocational. These include courses in social work run jointly by the Ministry of Social Development and the State Secretariat for Vocational Training. The number of places in medical schools has been increased by 66% over last year in an attempt to reach a training target of 3,300 doctors per year by 2020.

University professor Taoufik Guerradi told Magharebia that officials plan to raise standards in higher education to address the needs of the labour market with regard to social and economic affairs. "Take the teaching of economics, for example. Previously, private schools used to corner the market on specialist administration, management and marketing courses. Now, however, universities are offering courses in these areas and are competing with the private sector," he said.

Measures being taken to improve social and cultural facilities for students include efforts to expand the capacity of university residence halls as part of the process of opening up the sector to private operators. Two construction projects are underway to alleviate the shortage of student accommodation. The number of students receiving grants will also rise by 5.5% this year.

Another key measure this year is the creation by the Central Guarantee Fund under a programme called Education Plus to underwrite bank loans given to students enrolled in private institutions and schools of higher education to fund part or all of their enrolment and tuition fees. In the past it has been nearly impossible for students to get funding from banks or loans for higher education. The director of training and higher education, Abdelhafid Debbagh, says that this innovation is part of the framework agreement signed on May 8th by the government and representatives of private academic and training institutions to open up access to student loans. All the country’s banks have a stake in the new fund. Loans, which must not exceed 100,000 dirhams ($12,500), can only go towards enrolment and/or tuition fees charged by private-sector institutes or schools of higher education. http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2007/09/30/feature-01
----------------------------------------------------

Ramadan gives rise to informal trade.
By Sarah Touahri 01/10/2007

Many Moroccans unemployed throughout the rest of the year take the opportunity for informal commerce during Ramadan, selling food and other goods on the country's streets. With Ramadan in full swing, Morocco has seen a flurry of informal trading, especially in residential districts. Unemployed young people and housewives take advantage of the festive season to sell goods in places and at times that cater to the late nights of the holy month. The streets of most cities are filled throughout the night with a fragrant mix of delicious flavours and exquisite aromas. Owners of snack bars and grocery stores set up special spaces in their shops to sell customers’ favourite Ramadan delicacies.

Tarik Mhidia has been selling chebbakia (a Moroccan honey cake) since the beginning of Ramadan in a district of Temara. This is the third straight year the 29-year-old has engaged in the seasonal trade to avoid unemployment. He has selected a strategic spot for his wares, attempting to attract as many customers as possible. "My father encouraged me by giving the money I needed, and my mother is helping me to make the chebbakia. Sometimes I make 200 dirhams a day. Chebbakia and other honey cakes sell very well during Ramadan. But it’s just a temporary job which only lasts a month," he said wistfully.

His experience is similar to that of 25-year-old Mohamed Beljebbar, who each year turns his father's garage into a shop selling fresh fish, which Moroccans consume in large quantities during ftour. "I'm a law graduate and I have no business experience, but I’m sure I won’t waste my family’s money or my time because demand is exceeding supply at the moment. But once Ramadan’s over I’ll have to turn to other little jobs," he said while serving a customer.

Young people are not the only ones engaging in casual work during the holy month; women of all ages roll up their sleeves to make and sell all kinds of Moroccan delicacies. The best-known are the women who sell baghrir and harcha pancakes, trying to outdo each other with ever more artistic methods of tempting starving customers.

The casual traders have drawn criticism from full-time professionals, who believe their temporary competitors use unfair methods by changing their line of business to suit the circumstances. For twenty years El Hajja Halima has occupied the same spot in the Souika de Rabat. Her customers adore her pancakes and she is proud of her reputation, but says she is very disappointed she does not earn more. "At my age I’ve got nothing left to hope for. I’ve been selling baghrir for years. I get up at dawn to get everything ready. It’s a cake which requires time and patience; otherwise you just won’t get it right. Look at all those young girls who want to take everything over now, telling us our time is up," she said scornfully, pointing at a young girl wearing a djellaba and covering her face with a headscarf, pretending not to hear the older woman.

"El Hajja keeps on saying the same thing over and over," the young woman replied. "I never answer back. She’s an old woman who doesn’t want to understand that we young people, too, have nothing else to do. Anyway, I’m only doing it for a month so I can buy my textbooks for university." http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2007/10/01/feature-02
----------------------------------------------------

Morocco’s GDP growth rate decelerates to 1.7% in Q2 2007.
01/10/2007

Morocco's GDP growth rate fell to 1.7% in the second quarter of 2007, a significant decline from the 9.3% growth rate the country enjoyed during the same period in 2006. The High Commissariat for Planning released figures on Sunday (September 30th) revealing the drop was due largely to a 20.9% drop in agricultural output following prolonged drought. Agricultural output accounts for 21.7% of Morocco's GDP but employs close to 40% of the population and fluctuations in weather conditions have a significant effect on unemployment, which stood at 9.4% in the second quarter of the year. Non-agricultural growth, however, decelerated only slightly, to 5.5% from 5.7% in the same period of 2006, due primarily to a decline in food-related industries.

In related news, Morocco's foreign trade regulator announced that the country’s trade deficit flared up 26.4% between January and August 2007 reaching $10.8 billion, up from $8.4 billion last year. The office ascribed the deficit to the large volume of imports driven by increased imports of food, goods and energy
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2007/10/01/newsbrief-05
----------------------------------------------------

Morocco moves to eradicate begging.
03/10/2007 By Sarah Touahri

A recent study revealed the most accurate figures to date on begging in Morocco. Officials hope to use the data to better adapt a programme launched last March to combat the social problem. The phenomenon of beggars is a major challenge for the Moroccan government. To address the root causes of the problem and to understand its full extent, the Ministry for Social Development, Families and Solidarity conducted a survey and announced the results on September 27th. A scientific inquiry throughout the country to evaluate the real size of the problem had never been carried out before.

Minister for Social Development, Families and Solidarity Abderrahim Harouchi said studies previously undertaken on the subject were more theoretical considerations. They have been useful in highlighting the problem of begging, but their evaluations were largely devoid of objective statistical methods.

The survey covered a sample of 3,400 beggars and showed that in most areas, one Moroccan in 150 is begging. According to demographics expert Najib Rassifi, there are 195,150 beggars in Morocco. "This figure is quite realistic, with a margin of error of only 5%." Women constitute approximately 51.1% of the country's mendicants.

The Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer region is home to the largest number of beggars, with a percentage of 21.8%, followed by the Greater Casablanca region with 17.8%. The area of Chaouia-Ouardigha-Abda Doukala recorded the lowest level, with just 6.8%. Whilst 34.6% of beggars are aged 40 to 59, young people of 18 years or less make up only 11.5%. A total of 35.2% of beggars are married.

Ahmed Lamrini, Secretary-General at the social development ministry said the report shows that people who resort to begging are motivated by the need to support a family. In addition, 66.7% of beggars are illiterate and only 0.4% of them have any higher education.

The survey's findings will be used to support the campaign to combat begging, begun in Casablanca in March. Over the past six months, some 440 beggars were admitted to the Tit Mellil social centre, of which 70% have been reintegrated into families. Two fifths of them will remain in the centre and 10% will benefit from socio-economic training programmes. The economic plan is geared towards people who want to run their own small businesses but are unable to produce the capital they need. With this in mind, the social development ministry has signed partnership agreements with a number of associations to finance 37 projects around Casablanca and Rabat.

According to Abderrahim Harouchi, "This strategy considers the living conditions and social situation of the beggars, but it also has a deterrent side to it, in that it tackles professional begging, particularly by applying the law criminalising the exploitation of children in begging."

The strategy will soon be rolled out in three more cities: Fez, Marrakesh and Tangier. According to the government, the chief objective is to tackle professional begging. Several people seeking hand-outs were caught with considerable sums of money. The director of economic and social affairs in the Wilaya of Greater Casablanca, Zine Elabidine El Azhar, said authorities have seized 942,496 dirhams from beggars. One single beggar was found with 300,000 dirhams.

El Azhar called for an integrated approach to the problem, based on agencies' intervention, family and socio-economic reintegration and the application of the law, particularly against repeat offenders and those exploiting children. He has indicated that raising awareness among the public is clearly needed, as well as information designed to educate the beggars themselves.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2007/10/03/feature-02
----------------------------------------------------

Corruption in Morocco persists despite reported decline.
By Naoufel Cherkaoui 04/10/2007

Morocco improved its ranking by seven places in Transparency International's 2007 study on corruption, but the fight against the phenomenon is far from over. Germany-based Transparency International (TI) has ranked Morocco 72nd out of 180 countries, according to the group's 2007 Corruption Perceptions Index. Morocco earned a 3.5 rating out of 10, up from 3.2 (79th place) in the 2006 report.

In an interview with Magharebia, Transparency Morocco Secretary-General Ezzeddine Aqsabi said that TI's improved ranking of Morocco acknowledges certain achievements Morocco has made in the past year, such as the ratification of the United Nations Anti-Corruption Treaty and the approval of the establishment of a Central Authority for the Prevention of Corruption, as well as draft legislation to oblige officials to declare their personal assets.

Aqsabi said the new ranking is not of major importance, as "the classification can change when the classified country's condition hasn't changed. This is the result of the change of the number of countries included in the study, which was 63 last year and 180 countries this year."

Regarding proposed solutions to curb corruption in Morocco, Aqsabi said "The law must be applied; the corruption oversight mechanism must be activated; the judicial system must be reformed; and severe penalties must be imposed on those engaged in corruption in order to alleviate the intensity of the phenomenon."

"What we have seen is that corruption is being perpetuated in a horrible way," Mohamed Tariq Esbaai, President of the National Authority for the Protection of Public Funds told Magharebia. To illustrate his claim, he cited the "negative neutrality adopted by the state in the recent parliamentary elections; something that shows that the outgoing government was not determined to get rid of corruption."

Esbaai said that although individual citizens are the first victims of corruption, they are largely unable to fight it. He stressed the need for a clear political decision and for a zero-tolerance principle in order to limit the spread of corruption.

The outgoing prime minister has pledged since 2005 to enter into talks with all parties involved in the combating of corruption. An electronic portal for public services was created to improve interaction between citizens and the state by making certain administrative services directly available. The website also includes legal texts to inform citizens of their rights, echoing information centres in public establishments, companies and ministries. The government has also partnered with civil society organisations to launch anti-corruption media campaigns.

The most important step the government has taken recently is the judicial pursuit of people who violated anti-corruption laws during the campaign for the September 7th elections. Violations included public administration corruption and embezzlement of public money, which many Moroccans believe to be rampant among the country's authorities.

One citizen told Magharebia, "You can't get any administrative paperwork done without paying a bribe." He added that Morocco has wasted many foreign investment opportunities because of this phenomenon, which has become "an ordinary matter" on the Moroccan street.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2007/10/04/feature-01
----------------------------------------------------

Moroccan families value pre-school education.
By Sarah Touahri  04/10/2007

Moroccan families are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of pre-school education as a route to later academic success. Opportunities remain scarce, however, for poor families and those in rural areas. Moroccans are enrolling more children than ever into pre-school education programmes. Even parents from the underprivileged sectors of society are growing more aware of the importance of this education and try, despite their limited means, to enrol their children in private establishments. In rural communities, however, such institutions are largely lacking.

According to managers and owners of pre-school establishments, this branch of teaching requires a great deal of development before it can reach its rightful place. The latest figures, published in 2005 by the High Commission on Planning, indicate that 740,511 children under the age of six, or half of all pre-school age students, study in pre-schools. Nearly all of those who attend modern pre-schools live in major cities. Islamic pre-school education remains popular however, with 88.4% of the children in the age group in attendance throughout the country.

According to the Directorate of Co-operation and Private Education within the Ministry of National Education, the pre-school sector lags far behind the objectives laid out in the national education and training charter, particularly those concerning schooling for girls.

According to Rahim Anouloufe, who manages a pre-school in Rabat, there are persistent flaws in this educational provision: it is not accessible to all, there is no official supervision of teachers, there are contradictions in the perceived objectives of such teaching and there is a lack of ongoing training for pre-school staff.

The National Education Ministry has called for international co-operation and input from civil society, as well as the direct involvement of local communities in the expansion of pre-school education. This will involve devoting part of the income of provincial councils and local authorities to fund pre-school education. On the international level, the Moroccan government hopes to obtain aid for education.

Teacher Abbas Farnatchou told Magharebia that the first few years of a child's life have a great affect on a student's success in school. He added that early teaching, such as pre-schooling, opens up linguistic pathways for a child, contributes to reducing school drop-out rates and child labour, and helps to ground the child in his or her culture, "Hence the importance of involving the state and bringing [pre-school education] into state schools."

Until now, pre-school education has been essentially confined to the private sector. There are very few state schools which offer nursery classes. According to the education ministry, priority goes to the betterment of primary education. Only when this has happened can pre-school and primary education be brought together to represent a coherent educational foundation.

Until pre-school education becomes widely available in state schools, many parents, because of their low incomes, are suffering to stump up the price of kindergarten classes. "I know pre-school education is important in the life of a human being," said Abderrahim Maghloufi, a mechanic. "That's why I’m struggling to pay 300 dirhams every month for my daughter's school, even though I don’t have the funds." http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2007/10/04/feature-02
----------------------------------------------------

Players on a masculine stage | Juggling identities, Moroccan women look for a game .
came to Morocco a year ago to study women’s football as a Fulbright scholar [see Mar 11]. For a year now, I have been playing football as well as observing, interviewing and living with a women’s football team named ACDA (l’Association Cité des Arts) in Rabat, the capital. This is how I met Raja and about 25 other girls who have been playing football since they were young. They scream during Real Madrid–Barcelona games as loudly as the men next to them, they wear Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto’o jerseys with pride, but when asked if they were going to watch this Women’s World Cup, they looked at me as if I had just asked about a curling tournament. ………. (more on this web page)  http://www.theglobalgame.com/blog/?p=276
----------------------

Coverage abroad | In Islamic world, head scarves not always compulsory football equipment . March 11, 2007

with regard to girls and women wearing head covering during matches, has shown the limitations of setting social policy through the rules of football (see Mar 3). With a global constituency and bedrock conservatism, the rules makers and their FIFA overlords would hardly be able to solve a conundrum that has dogged societies—such as France, Britain and, now, Canada—struggling to integrate this Islamic expression of piety into secular life.

A cursory survey of women’s use of the hijab within football, in both Muslim and non-Muslim lands, shows variance that likely defies a systemic approach……………………….. (more here)

http://www.theglobalgame.com/blog/?p=242
----------------------------------------------------

Rubbing shoulders with nomads in Morocco: A walking tour in the Atlas Mountains takes hikers through fields of spring wildflowers and among flocks of goats and sheep.
Marie Bruce, Special to the Sun   Published: Saturday, July 21, 2007

We drove to the desert frontier town of Erfoud, a fairly seedy place and the base for touring the huge sand dunes at Merzouga, where we spent a day exploring. Continuing south, we drove through the beautiful Draa Valley to the town of Zagora. The road was lined with date palms and of course dates sellers and the countryside……………..
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/travel/story.html?id=ee75e025-5c58-4baf-9b17-f8789dc8bc4b&p=2
----------------------------------------------------

Anti-death penalty group to kick off international campaign from Morocco.
04/10/2007

The World Coalition against the Death Penalty (WCADP), an international NGO composed of 60 member organisations, announced on Tuesday (October 2nd) that it will begin an international campaign for a universal moratorium on the death penalty from Morocco. The campaign will kick off in Rabat on October 10th coinciding with the observation of the World Day against the Death Penalty. WCADP plans to seek support for the initiative in Puerto Rico, Kinshasa, Lisbon and New York and will later submit a proposal to the 62nd UN General Assembly. President of the Moroccan Prison Observatory, Abderrahim Jamai, said the death penalty is still in force in Morocco, although no capital punishments have been carried out since 1993. There are currently 129 people on death row in Morocco, including four women.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2007/10/04/newsbrief-02
----------------------------------------------------

US actress Angelina Jolie to perform in Morocco.
Paris, Oct. 6

Oscar winner Angelina Jolie is expected in Morocco by spring 2008 to perform in a new movie by director Sam Mendes, French-speaking weekly "Jeune Afrique" said in its latest issue. The new movie to be shot in the beautiful beaches of Agadir (south) and magic sand dunes, southern Morocco, recounts the adventures of a couple who traveled to Morocco to make up relationship.

Angelina Jolie, who gained international fame for her performance as “Lara Croft” in Tomb Rider, stared as Alexander the Great’s mother Olympias in the Oliver Stone epic blockbuster "Alexander" (2005) which was partly shot in Morocco.

Sam Mendez, aka Samuel Alexander Mendes, is an English stage and film director. Born in 1965, he is probably best known for his debut film "American Beauty", for which he won an Academy Award for Directing. In 2000, Mendes was made a Commander of the British Empire. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/culture/us_actress_angelina/view
##########################################################

These postings are provided without permission of the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the identified copyright owner.  The poster does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the message, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.