L’Economiste Research Award: How to unleash Moroccans’ potential?
Elegance 50% of Moroccans are deprived of their «human potential» at birth due to shortcomings in education and health (World Bank), two-thirds suffer from «learning poverty», nearly 80% of pupils under 15 don’t even reach the minimum level of knowledge in reading and mathematics (PISA survey)… An employment rate not exceeding 37.4% (women at 14.8%), according to the HCP (High Commissioner’s Office for Planning)… There’s no end to the startling figures about human capital in Morocco. Yet there is no shortage of «good intentions» or educational and social programs..
It was with these words that Ahmed Reda Chami, President of the Economic, Social, and Environmental Council (EESC) and guest speaker at the 19th edition of L’Economiste’s Prize for Research in Economics, Management, and Law, opened his speech on Monday December 18, 2023 in Casablanca. For his inaugural lecture, he chose as his theme «the valorization of human capital in the professional environment, a lever for development».
The EESC has already produced seven reports on human capital, a theme that figures prominently in the New Development Model. The quality of this capital determines the performance of our economy. According to Chami, the correlation is clearly visible if we look at the labor productivity of Moroccans. According to World Bank figures for 2022, it is $27,333, compared with $36,627 for Tunisians, $48,900 for Egyptians and $90,900 for Turks. The gap is glaring. « We have a real problem unlocking the potential of our human capital», says the President of the EESC. This is obviously due in no small part to the woes of the public school system, which is underperforming and struggling to retain students. Every year, almost 300,000 students leave the system. Among 15–34-year-olds, over 4 million are NEETs, i.e., Not in Education, Employment, or Training».
In the workplace, human capital is rarely a priority. « How many structures adopt management by objectives, conduct employee satisfaction surveys, prepare high-potential management programs or succession plans…? They exist, but there aren’t many of them «, laments Ahmed Reda Chami. « Public administration, for its part, is becoming poorer. Civil servants take few initiatives for fear of sanctions «, he added.
It all starts with education
What can be done to move forward? It all starts with education. The current reform (Teaching at the Right Level – TARL) looks promising, but it will take time. We also need to win the support and commitment of teachers. In the workplace, improving worker productivity will require investment in lifelong learning. Here again, there is still a long way to go, due to the inadequacy of the funding mechanism for continuing employee training. Yet the stakes are high. More competent human resources will be more productive. This will improve overall factor productivity (labor and capital) and lead to higher growth rates. Chami also insists on improving the employment rate, strengthening employee protection against all forms of violence and harassment, and adapting to changes in the world of work (telecommuting, coworking, robotization, etc.).
Why can’t we get it right?
What are the reasons for our inability to make progress on upgrading human capital, despite our best efforts? For Ahmed Réda Chami, there are a number of reasons. There is first of all the gap between vision and execution capacity. « We do not have that capacity. There is also a lack of convergence between strategies «, lamented Chami. This may also be due, at times, to the presence of well-meaning but totally inexperienced decision-makers. Public administration, for its part, has lost much of its ability to execute, with managers inhibited by their fear of sanctions. Finally, Chami pointed the finger at the resistance of «lobbies « that are present everywhere and blocking the way to any initiative.
Understanding language without ideology
Ahmed Réda Chami opened up on a variety of issues, with his usual outspokenness. However, before getting down to business, he made a point of shedding his EESC President’s hat. In response to a question on the link between the language of instruction and the quality of the education system, Chami shared an uncompromising opinion. «Our problem is diglossia. The Arabic taught at school is not the one spoken at home. Children have to learn languages that are foreign to them as soon as they start school. This is not to our advantage. Some countries, such as Turkey and Greece, have solved this problem by adopting their mother tongue», he pointed out. Chami is not fooled: in Morocco, the language issue is sometimes tinged with ideology. «We can learn classical Arabic, but without ideology». However, in his view, the «classical (Modern Standard) Arabic vs. darija (the Moroccans vernacular language)» battle is lost in advance. It is better to keep the first language, but improve the way it is taught.
The question of teachers is also crucial. «We Arabized the education system when the teachers were not ready, and we did not go all the way. Now we want to Frenchify, but teachers are not ready! We did not negotiate things properly», lamented the guest speaker at the L’Economiste Research Awards ceremony.
On the subject of education unions, Ahmed Réda Chami deplored the fact that intermediary organizations (unions and political parties) in Morocco are completely «on their knees», making any negotiations difficult.
Ahlam NAZIH
