The headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) hosted the closing and certificate ceremony for the pilot phase of the “Pedagogical and Digital Capacity-Building of Moroccan Universities (ReCOMP-ES)”. The event was organized by ICESCO and its affiliated organism, the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW), in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation of the Kingdom of Morocco. The ceremony was attended by a host of senior officials, university leaders, and higher education experts.

The ceremony commenced with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran, followed by an address delivered by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of ICESCO. He emphasized that the Organization consistently invests in human capital and aims to build an open and inclusive educational system that believes in access for all knowledge seekers. Moreover, he noted that the pilot phase of the project was built upon the success of FUIW’s training program on open education. The training program was the fruit of an agreement signed between ICESCO and the Ministry, which paved the way for a comprehensive program that promotes active teaching and integrates professional development tools at the core of university pedagogy.

Dr. AlMalik also explained that the first round of the Project benefited 113 professors from Moroccan universities, and that ICESCO aspires to reach 600 beneficiaries across four sessions it plans to organize in the near future.

In a speech delivered on behalf of Dr. Azzedine El Midaoui, Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation of Morocco, Dr. Mohamed Khalfaoui, Secretary-General of the Ministry, affirmed that the Project, implemented over four months in 12 Moroccan universities, was the result of a strategic vision and partnership between the organizers, in a bid to advance higher education and scientific research across the Islamic world. He pointed out that the Ministry’s collaboration with ICESCO represents recognition of the Organization’s leading role in its Member States.

This was followed by a presentation from Dr. Khalid Berrada, coordinator of the Project at FUIW and Chairholder of the ICESCO Open Education Chair at Mohammed V University in Morocco, wherein he reviewed the scientific program and implementation stages of the Project. A series of expert interventions followed, including those by Dr. Amel Barich, researcher with the “GEORG” research group in Iceland, and Dr. Colin de la Higuera, an expert with the UNITWIN Open Education Network “UNOE” at the University of Nantes, France.

A number of professors who participated in the Project also spoke about their exceptional experience during the session, highlighting that the training programs were instrumental in developing their skills—particularly digital skills—which enabled them to adapt to and keep pace with the latest advancements.

Mr. Abderrazak Ben Saga, Acting Director of Higher Education and Pedagogical Development at the Moroccan Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, presented the project timeline and its upcoming session scheduled for 2025.

The ceremony concluded with the presentation of certificates of recognition by the Director-General of ICESCO and the Secretary-General of the Moroccan Ministry of Higher Education to the cohort of professors who benefited from the pilot session of the Project.