Moroccan national education minister in Belgium

Moroccan national education minister, Abdellah Saaf, started Wednesday a three-day visit to Belgium for talks with Belgian officials on the education system of the French community in Belgium.

Morocco, which initiated a reform of its educational and training system, must remain open onto the performing experiences of other countries, Saaf told reporters upon arrival here Wednesday.

This reform, he said, requires a "renewed look" at other systems that proved successful. These successful experiences can be a source of inspiration and can be adapted to the Moroccan reality, he said.

Talks with Belgian officials will also tackle the education of Moroccan children settled in Belgium.

A charter on the teaching of Arabic language and Moroccan culture to these children is being drafted in cooperation between the Moroccan education department and the authorities in charge of education in Belgium.

The two sides should work out a plan of action that would enable in the mid term to pass accords on specific issues, such as the teaching of Arabic, primary, secondary and technical education, vocational training and others, Saaf said.

Some one hundred Moroccan teachers are working in Belgium to teach Arabic to the Moroccan children. The Belgium-settled Moroccan community was 200,000 strong, according to 1997 figures.