Morocco needs over us$ 600 million to make up for deficit in campuses

Moroccan minister of higher education and scientific research, Khalid Alioua, said Morocco needs to invest 6 billion DH to make up for the deficit in university residences, estimated at 100,000 beds.

Speaking at the weekly question-time of the House of Representatives, the minister said the annual number of new university students will bring the total number of students to 1.5 million by 2011.

In the 2001-2002 school year, some 33,510 students lived in 25 university residences nationwide, he said.

Regarding scholarships, he said the ministry allocated for the 2001-2002 year a total of 528 Million DH (over US$ 50 million). The minister also recalled that as of the 1993-94 academic year, only needy students were entitled to scholarships on the basis of a study of applications by regional commissions.