Almaghrib - No 102 - 11 février 1939

The interest directed at the Karaouiyine University by Moroccan circles grows day by day. Thoughtful people from all corners are convinced that this institution needs to be reformed. However this reform appears not to be clear to all. It needs to be brought up at each and every occasion because the hopes based on this university impose on all who are so interested to think carefully about its future so as to make progress even if it means to profit from the experience of other universities. In particular that of Al Azhar and of Zaytouna which have become, thanks to the evolution witnessed and to the reforms they introduced, two powerful forces of student development which unite traditional culture with the vibrant culture of modern times.

Many years will have passed before the Karaouiyine opens itself to a reformist current to satisfy those in this country who are interested in science. The elements of the Karaouiyine which have the upper hand have no empathy with the new times and ignore all that humanity has lived through in terms of evolution and upheavals. And so all is well that the dialogue with regards to this university will not slack off and that discussions on the means for its reform will double in intensity, because if it adopts a series of appropriate reforms it is possible to extend these to the University of Marrakesh and to other universities which must be established in the various regions of Morocco.

Now that the period for examinations at Karaouiyine is near, it is our duty to lend it special focus by raising the issue of correcting those anomalies these examinations bear with the aim so appropriate measures to attenuate them are enacted in light of the public debate which will be taken on their behalf.

The first anomaly which is noteworthy is that this university in Fez had chosen a path which is not one taken by any other university: it makes no distinction between examinations and written tests. In other universities examinations are intended to allow students to obtain a certificate of primary education or the confirmation of completion of secondary schooling and by so doing endows them with an official status. As for written tests they provide only a nominal assessment of scholastic value.

To graduate from one level to the next, the Karaouiyine student must each year present himself for examinations and demonstrate a sustained effort over several years. These examinations should normally be replaced with tests each trimester. Those who receive a passing grade based on the average of the three tests each year should advance to the next level without having to face a final examination. By contrast, those who fail to achieve the required average grade will have to take a final examination following the scholastic vacations and should only be interrogated on subjects in which they were deficient.

These seasonal tests have the additional advantage of training students in writing skills to which one must give special attention in order to engender in the students a certain rivalry which could become an excellent stimulant to drive them to redouble their efforts and to correctly acquit themselves of their scholastic homework. The majority of Karaouiyine students know the rules of grammar, conjugation and rhetoric but they have never been trained to write in a simple and clear manner. If one would introduce a system of exercises and homework and if the student applies himself to write throughout the years of primary and secondary schooling, his style will be one of clarity that combines elegance with simplicity.

The second anomaly with draws attention with regards to the secondary examinations at Karaouiyine is that these are carried out in only one session such that the student who does not succeed in that session is obliged to redo the whole year. Examinations in the rest of the world are carried out in two sessions, the first after at the end of the school year and the second after summer vacation which allows a failing student to take advantage of the time out of school to review his coursework and take a chance to regain one year. Holding one session only leads to a waste of time and induces a harmful lassitude to the pursuit of studies.

The third anomaly is the absence of punctuality with regards to fixing a date for the examinations. These are announced only a few days prior to the date and often the proclamation of the results is postponed to much later dates. So much so that students are left wondering if they passed or failed and not knowing if they should prepare for the oral examination. It is therefore essential that written or oral examination dates be advertised two or three months in advance and not be changed under any circumstances. In addition, the examinations must take place in a short period of time, an examination to cover at the rate of two subjects a day.

So there we have some observations on the examinations held at the Karaouiyine which we have noted today with the hope that they will contribute to removing some of the prevailing anomalies and confusion.