Lifelong learning at the centre of development in the UNESCO learning city of Benguerir, Morocco

On Tuesday 22 February 2022, Mr David Atchoarena, Director of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), Mr Abdessamih Mahmoud, Director of the Agence Nationale de Lutte contre l'Analphabétisme (ANLCA) and Ms Hélène Guiol, Head of the Education Programme at the UNESCO Office for the Maghreb, accompanied by their respective teams, visited the city of Benguerir, which has been part of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities since 2020.

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Meeting with Mr Aziz Bouignane, the Governor of the province of Rehamna

The visit began with a meeting with Mr Aziz Bouignane, the Governor of the province of Rehamna, in the presence of Ms Bahia El Youssoufi, President of the Benguerir municipal council, other local elected officials, and the city’s education and literacy stakeholders. Ms El Youssoufi said that the city has set itself the major mission of becoming a true centre of excellence, knowledge and innovation. This commitment has enabled the city to equip itself with adequate infrastructures intended to promote education and training at different levels, such as:

• The Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) and its various highly innovative clusters, with services at the cutting edge of technology, such as the 1337 computer training school , the data centre and the most powerful supercomputer in Africa, as well as the National Center for Digitalization and Distance Learning.

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Visit of the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P)

• The Rhamna-Educatec platform, a smart classroom designed in 2019 to provide tutoring, guidance, counselling and training, using distance learning techniques. The room is equipped with simultaneous and asynchronous remote broadcasting technology from the provincial delegation of the ANLCA to all the preparatory and secondary schools of the province which are connected and equipped with computers and interactive teaching boards.

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Visit of the Rhamna-Educatec platform

• The Specialized Institute of Traditional Arts, which is committed to literacy and to strengthening the knowledge and skills of craftsmen and women in the province, in the context of a partnership of a number of actors, including the provincial authorities, the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH), the ANLCA, the Provincial Directorate of Education, the Provincial Delegation of Handicrafts, the elected bodies and civil society

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Visit of the Specialized Institute of Traditional Arts

• The AL Qods youth centre, which offers modern services and cultural spaces, such as the library, the Roman theatre, the coworking space, the games room, etc. for young people not in employment, education or training.

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Visit of the AL Qods youth centre

All these places, and many other assets, justify Benguerir’s recognition as part of the Global Network of Learning Cities. Benguerir will contribute to the exchange of experience within the network, the objectives of which are to stimulate policy dialogue and mutual learning between member cities, to forge links and partnerships, to develop capacities and to design instruments that encourage and recognize the progress made.

Moreover, the network allows Benguerir to share with other learning cities in the world their experiences in education, training and research, but also to benefit from the best practices and successful experiences in the fields of lifelong learning. This first visit set the stage for a long-term cooperation between UNESCO and the city of Benguerir.