Al Maghrib - Date published illegible, however the article is part of the series Said wrote about the Karaouiyine University in March of 1939.
Need for the introduction of Theses
Karaouiyine's history is well endowed with men who exemplified the ideal role mode of an erudite scholar who, thanks to their actions, have passed on their knowledge from generation to generation without much material gain. Each period of its history provides us with a list of eminent scholars who ask of life only the bare essentials to pursue the dissemination of their knowledge. These were men who embodied asceticism and sacrifice in performing the task assigned to them. Their life was dedicated entirely to disclosing their scholarship, a gift from Allah which they were able to master.
If circumstances were different and if our first wish above all was to (properly) compensate the Karaouiyine's (new) scholar in order to shelter him from life's (material) difficulties and hardships, it would be because we want our university to not stray away from its sacred mission. We would accord him a dignified position commensurate with the authority he exercises over scientific matters. Then this scholar would know that the dissemination of knowledge would be an unavoidable duty in the service of science itself. It would be their calling to acquit themselves with the same passion and devotion as the ancient generations of scholars. This will permit him to establish the (new) foundations of the University and to protect it from the whims of time such as those serious crises that have shaken Morocco for over eleven centuries.
The University's students must redouble their efforts in order to obtain the maximum profit from their studies without worrying about life's ordeals nor losing sight of the role incumbent on them to maintain the conveyer belt of knowledge for Moroccan society. The new system just introduced at Karaouiyine can bear fruit only if the students know that obtaining a diploma is not of itself an end. It is not the sole objective of scientific endeavor nor of what one could hope to achieve from this educational system. Without neglecting the future material needs of the graduate, he must also think about a profession that allows him to exploit what he learned from his university lectures or personal research in religion, law, history and all other branches of scholarship. It is up to him to demonstrate his skills, to enlighten the nation on what needs to be reformed and to thus prove that the years within the University were not spent in vain.
For its part, the administration (of the Ministry of Education) must encourage specialization by establishing theses as a requirement for a third cycle. It should adopt guidelines to direct the student in the research work that he will be called upon to carry out to prepare and to defend his thesis in order to qualify for a doctoral degree. The "Al Alimiya" diploma currently presented by Karaouiyine, certifies that the graduate has demonstrated his competence in the material taught in the university lectures. However this does not prove that he has reached scientific maturation nor does it attest that the knowledge he has obtained has developed sufficiently in his mind so that he can demonstrate creativity in the sciences or literature that would honor his University.
If the student would dedicate two or three years after obtaining the current diploma and specialize in some well defined subject and present a thesis of his efforts, then that would be a result that conforms to modern thinking. He would have to subject his specialization to in depth review of even the most minor of details and then write his thesis in preparation for its defense in an oral examination. If such a system is adopted and the administration encourage the students to come forward (with theses), then the Moroccan scientific community will see a prosperous era of written work and bestow much pride on these doctoral theses which will establish a true revival of our great University.
