SIST, Coventry Branch Campus Facilitate Moroccans Path Towards Global Education in English
English immersion is advancing significantly in Morocco as young Moroccans show growing interest in the language and its worlds of opportunities, yet doubts remain as to whether English can really replace French in the country.
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Many local and international – particularly British institutions– are now in the pursuit of contributing to English immersion in Morocco – including the Superior Institutions of Science and T
Rabat – Many continue to doubt the development of English learning and immersion in Morocco due to several factors – including the country’s historical ties to its mother language Arabic, as well as French, which has long been the preferred language of the political and socio-cultural elite in Casablanca, Rabat, and other major cities across Morocco.
Despite this, the increasing emergence and growth of British schools and programs delivering British education in Morocco stands as one of the direct indicators that the language is making progress in the North African country.
One clear indicator of the language’s influence in Morocco is its increased daily use in different settings, whether heard informally on a tramway car between friends, netizens’ comments on social platforms, or on campuses and at schools.
Last year, for instance, the British Council published a report from last year which found that 65% of young Moroccans regard English as a very important language to master to be in tune with today’s ever-shifting socio-professional world. 
The report’s conclusion is based on a survey of 1,211 young urban Moroccans, a whopping majority of whom emphasized in their responses that English is a critical asset for anyone dreaming of a successful career in a wide range of sectors.
Many local and international – particularly British institutions– are now in the pursuit of contributing to English immersion in Morocco – including the Superior Institutions of Science and Technology (SIST).
Present in Morocco for nearly two decades, the SIST gives students the chance to obtain approved and recognized bachelor degrees as well as masters and MBA degrees from Wales’ Cardiff Metropolitan University.
Providing different programs, the institution gives eligible students the choice to study in one of their three campuses located in Casablanca, Tangier, and Rabat.
Path towards global education– both ways
While many students may be eager to access the job market following a three- or four-year bachelor degree, it is important for them to be aware that undergraduate studies and the location they choose for education can have a great, considerable bearing on their future journeys. In other words, the host university and the program students choose can play a crucial role in facilitating their transition out of the “what’s next” phase following their BA degrees
Moroccans studying under the SIST program, have the option of transferring at any time of the year to Cardiff, as part of the institution’s partnership with Cardiff Metropolitan University.
“Studying at SIST creates priceless opportunities,” the institution promises, adding that this opportunity is expanded to all other international students, aspiring to carry on their studies in Morocco or who want to study within the British education system.
Under the institutions’ exchange programs, SIST facilitates integration of students from a wide range of universities in both Europe and the UK.
“SIST receives many international students and also provides assistance to Moroccan students who want to pursue their higher education abroad,” SIST said.
Many reports have in recent months shed light on the future of English and the contribution of the language in opening better opportunities for students.
One such report was recently by the British Study, which stressed the importance of English as a lingua franca or the most commonly spoken language in the world.
According to the report, at least one out of five people worldwide can understand English.
The report also highlighted the prominence of English as the world’s de facto official language has to do with the fact that is by far the language of science, computers, diplomacy, tourism, and many other fields that can guarantee or at least increase young people’s chances of securing employment in a multinational company within their home countries or outside.
According to a British Council report issued earlier this year, English will likely retain its position as “the world’s most widely spoken language over the next decade.”
Key findings from the report stressed that English will also contribute to playing an important role in providing linguistic opportunities for people learning the language across the world.
Yet one of the key points mentioned by the British Council is also the strong connection between the desire to learn English and the need for teachers, “even when new technologies are considered.”
Coventry Campus and SIST partnership
The importance of English growth in Morocco is evident in the opportunities that the language is opening for students and people seeking to acquire it.
Committed to developing English education in Morocco, SIST has repeatedly reiterated its determination to diversify its partnerships with international institutions to carry out the mission.
In 2020, Coventry University and SIST signed a partnership agreement to establish cooperation seeking to boost teacher training as well as to build new programs in different areas like business, technology, and science.
Under the partnership, the two institutions agreed to partner to explore opportunities for joint research as well as teaching and mobility.
“Thousands of Moroccan students are expected to benefit from the new partnership over several years by having access to additional and alternative educational experiences that are aligned with the needs of their society,” Coventry University said in a January 2020 statement.
The agreement came a few years before Coventry University’s decision to open its campus in Morocco.
Coventry opened their first ever campus in Morocco in Bouskoura, Casablanca, in April of this year, with the university now aspiring to open two additional campuses in the North African country in the near future.
In an interview with Morocco World News (MWN) following the launch of Coventry’s Casablanca campus, the UK’s ambassador to Morocco, Simon Martin, hailed the surge in the number of British schools in Morocco and spoke in glowing terms of the rapidly evolving ties between Morocco and the UK on the education front.
UK ambassador to Morocco Simon Martin
Lord Tariq Ahmed, the UK Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and the UN also commented on the opening of the new campus in an interview with MWN.
“On British schools, we have grown exponentially over the last two years with the number of British Accredited schools almost doubling from 4 to 7 across different cities, with many more in the pipeline,” the minister said.
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