Al Maghrib - No. 110 - February 27, 1939

"Al Maghrib" published in its latest edition a petition worded by students at Karaouiyine addressed to His Excellence the Grand Vizier in which they state they were offended by the equivalence of their diploma delivered by their University to a certificate of secondary education. This equivalence has raised a general outcry from the students who consider it to be a lowering of the standards accepted by the Karaouiyine according to the statements expressed in the petition. It is heartening to note the concern borne by the Karouiyine students to educational matters, but we would like to submit their arguments to an open and frank discussion so everyone has the opportunity to enrich the debate on this issue by bringing to light all that it contains.

The Karaouiyine should consider itself not as a primary or secondary school, but instead as a university; and the distinguishing feature of a university is to admit all holders of certificates of completion of secondary education. This is because secondary education aims only to develop the mind so as to distance itself from the ranks of the illiterate and to attain a certain maturity in preparation for higher education. So much so that when students achieve this maturity they are then able to be ranked among intellectuals with an established scientific competence preparing for a specialization. When a student completes his secondary studies he can specialize in whatever branch of the sciences for which he feels a liking. Universities receive holders of certificates of completion of secondary education without asking them about the subjects taught to them in secondary schools. Their only concern is with the expected level of proficiency in the language with which courses are conducted in higher education. The university requires the students to have mastered this proficiency and, in case it was not included in the subject matter at the completion of secondary education, then they must pass a language proficiency examination before having access to higher education.

Al Azhar University in Cairo recognizes Egyptian, Syrian or Lebanese secondary school baccalaureate certificates, without requiring candidates to pass a language proficiency examination. Meanwhile the subject matters addressed in the secondary courses at Al Azhar are not those taught to prepare students for a baccalaureate examination. The same is true for the House of Sciences; it accepts baccalaureate recipients without a language proficiency examination. European universities also accept certificates of completion of secondary education presented by registrants with the sole stipulation that they pass an examination in the language used at the university; without caring if the subject matters taught in secondary schools are at the same level as those required by the country in which the student wants to pursue his or her higher studies. Are the subject matters that are taught at Karaouiyine any more difficult than those taught at Al Azhar or any other Arab university? Hence only one point of contemplation remains and that is to find out whether recipients of the Karaouiyine Diploma have mastered the Arabic language as it should be. We must put much focus on the level of Arabic secondary education so that the graduate will have mastered the language to allow him or her to follow courses of higher learning without difficulty. For all that to be, it remains possible only if the university has at its disposal instructors of the Arabic language and literature who know the methodologies of education and are recipients of advanced diplomas.

Currently the only means to reach this end is to call forth instructors from Arabs from the orient while waiting for Morocco to develop faculty staff who can address the same criteria as their oriental colleagues. For the moment, it is recommended that a diploma recipient take an Arabic proficiency examination before registering into a specialization course. Therefore one must decide on the subject matter for this examination and allow the students to study well those subjects, then assuming success, they can appropriately pursue university courses at Karaouiyine. Of course students of this university have the right to claim equivalence of their certificate of secondary schooling with that of a general diploma so as to be able to register for all higher studies and examinations to which a holder of a diploma can register. This is not difficult to enable, if the Karaouiyine continues to not teach French, to get there one must allow a holder of the Karaouiyine certificate of secondary schooling to have access to the Institute of Higher Learning in Rabat after passing an French language competency examination. This university's student could devote an hour a day to study the French language and once having completed his secondary schooling including French, he can attend Moroccan law courses or the literary courses at the Institute. The recognition of this equivalence between a diploma and a certificate of completion of secondary schooling and vice versa is a means for the development of a new generation of students which reunites the traditional culture as represented by the University of Karaouiyine and the modern culture represented by the Institute of Higher Learning in Rabat. This recognition of equivalence will not fail to open new horizons for Karaouiyine students who will spare no effort to obtain Karaouiyine's so called "Al Imiya" Certificate and a basic legal competency or an equivalent certificate presented by the Rabat institute. Morocco's educational future has all to gain by this new perspective.