Higher Council for Education to be set up, King
King Mohammed VI of Morocco has decided to set up a Higher Council for Education, part of the reform underway in this sector.
"Today, we are half-way through the implementation of the national education and training reform. We have launched important projects and made substantial progress in this complex field. The five remaining years must be devoted to redressing whatever shortcomings have hindered reform in this vital domain, using all the resources needed to forge ahead with the educational system's qualitative - and not merely quantitative - reform, thereby giving the school its rightful position in society," said the monarch in a State of the Nation address Friday, on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of his enthronement.
"I have therefore decided to set up the Higher Council for Education, which will act as the specialized representative institution provided for in the Constitution.
"The Council will serve as a permanent, impartial body, to be entrusted with making proposals and undertaking assessments with a view to achieving steady, in-depth reform of the education system," the King said.
"I expect the Council to pursue this committed action to give such vital reform new momentum, put it on the right track and enable it to pick up speed," he added.
The monarch also stressed the importance of culture that should "be given its rightful place as a basic component of our strategic policy. I want Morocco to have a meaningful cultural project, in an environment characterized by freedom and conducive to innovation, creativity as well as effective cultural interaction at regional, national and international levels," he went on.
"In this day and age, in which stability and democratic rule are powerful incentives for investment, we must make the most of our achievements in these fields to ensure sustainable development at a faster pace," the monarch went on.
He also called for a new immigration policy, "given that our project to build a prosperous society concerns all Moroccans wherever they may be, and not least our fellow-citizens living abroad."
This policy, he said, should be "better-suited to the sweeping changes affecting our expatriate community, one which fulfils the aspirations of the various generations of Moroccan emigrants, enabling them to participate in the country's development and modernization and to enhance Morocco's influence abroad. It should be a comprehensive, multi-faceted policy, including the institutional, diplomatic, economic, social and cultural aspects." (MAP)MK
Morocco will carry on defense of Arab and Islamic causes, boost relations with Africa, King vows
RABAT, July 30 (MAP)- King Mohammed VI has vowed that Morocco will continue to fulfill its role in the defense of Arab and Islamic countries' main causes and interests, favoring dialogue and negotiation over confrontation and violence.
"In this connection, Israel must withdraw from all occupied Arab territories," the monarch said in a State of the Nation address Friday, on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of his enthronement.
King Mohammed VI also called for an "immediate implementation of the road map as a step towards a just, lasting and comprehensive peace, which preserves the rights of all peoples in the region - including the Iraqi people - to freedom, stability and prosperity, and which allows for the establishment of a viable Palestinian state, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, living side by side with Israel."
As chairman of the Al-Quds Committee- an offshoot of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC)- the monarch pledged he would "pursue relentless action to safeguard the identity of this wounded city, as both the cradle of civilizations and symbol of coexistence and tolerance between the revealed religions. (É) I also wish to emphasize the need to consolidate Arab-Islamic solidarity and modernize the institutions and mechanisms of Arab-Islamic action so that it may contribute to the democratic development and economic integration we yearn for."
The monarch also voiced resolve to "ensure that Africa remains at the very center of our foreign policy, and that our relations with all African countries, particularly the least developed ones, are further strengthened."
"Morocco seeks to contribute to the success of the NEPAD initiative and will continue to participate in United Nations peace-keeping operations to preserve security and stability in the Sahel region and throughout Africa," he added.
The king, who last month toured five African countries, said West Africa and the Sahel hold a "special place" in Morocco's "strategic policy, given the time-honored cultural bonds between us."
He also voiced satisfaction with the development of "Morocco's strategic, multi-faceted relations with its European neighbours."
"We are delighted with our longstanding, ever-developing model partnership with France, and are keen to open a new chapter in our relations with the Kingdom of Spain, with which we share a rich historical and cultural heritage which should provide a solid base for exceptional strategic relations between two countries bound by partnership and good neighborliness."
On relations with the European Union, as a whole, the monarch said that "in order to give concrete substance to such concepts as good neighborliness and shared destiny, our partnership must be given an advanced status, in line with EU policy." Such a status, he insisted, would do justice to Morocco, given the efforts made in the areas of economic reform and democracy.
The King also said he was "delighted with our strategic partnership with the United States of America (É)"