Every year the Department of Higher Education organises National Science Week events in universities

Flickr/ Dan Mclean

Moroccans are receptive to science, but the country needs a much stronger communication and scientific literacy effort, says Aziz Bensalah.

Engaging the public with science probably means something different in Morocco than it does in more developed countries. 

Initiatives aiming to interest people in science are often aligned with notions of 'scientific culture', 'science for all', or even 'science for citizenship'. To design them appropriately in Morocco, characteristic features of Moroccan society must be taken into account.

Moroccan people have a high appreciation for dramatic advances in technology. This creates a positive image of science.

But high unemployment among science graduates — one of the difficulties facing the scientific community in Morocco — cancels out this benefit.

Science cannot compete with other activities and entertainment, especially for young people’s attention. So to engage the public with science in Morocco, we need a long-term strategy that is carefully designed and strongly supported by decisive stakeholders, including national authorities, the media, municipalities, and private companies.

And the state has yet to acknowledge, in any form whatsoever, the link between the level of scientific culture in the Moroccan population and socioeconomic development. As far as I am aware, not a single report or study into the issue has been produced by the Moroccan parliament.

Although professional journalists write about scientific events in Morocco, they are not formally trained as science journalists. Popular science is missing from the media, and a few interviews with Moroccan scientists will not change things much.

So what does the landscape look like for organisations involved in the diffusion of scientific culture in Morocco?

Public institutions in charge of scientific policy and training do engage with science communication, but they are too few to make a significant impact. The Hassan II Academy for Science and Technology organises an annual Youth and Science event throughout the country. And every year the Department of Higher Education organises National Science Week events in universities.

But despite this, there is a diverse group of voluntary organisations aiming to promote science dissemination. Indeed, this movement took the lion's share of funding in the latest round of project proposals under a programme set up in 2004 by the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs to promote scientific and technical culture in ten countries of the South.