MORHEL - MORoccan Higher Education Leadership

The Moroccan Higher Education (HE) sector is facing significant change as it moves to enhance accessibility and quality for students, and impact for its economy and society. The reform and restructuring of the HE system in Morocco needed to deliver on these objectives is being slowed by a lack of leadership capacity. Universities in Morocco need to build the capacity of their leaders for governance, strategic planning and management in order to deliver these reforms.The project addresses the need for development for university leaders in Morocco through the creation and implementation of a National Centre for Leadership Development (NLDC) and an associated certificated national leadership development programme (NLDP). When creating the NLDC and its NLDP, it will create the constitution and operating procedures for the centre; structures and materials to support the programme; and identify and equip dedicated facilities where the development activities will take place. Learning will take place through networking meetings, lectures from visiting speakers, action learning sets, and promote immediate improvements through national change projects. The project will develop and execute staff training workshops for Moroccan university staff responsible for establishing the new centre and implementing the programme.During the life of the project, 132 Moroccan HE leaders and managers will engage with the NLDC and benefit from the NLDP with a demonstrable impact on their capacity to operate the governance, strategic plans and management of HEIs. In the year following the project, it is expected that additional leaders will benefit from taking the NLDP and that at least 10 additional Moroccan HEIs will have adopted it for leadership development. All HEIs in Morocco will engage with the NLDC for leadership development through activities including a leadership conference. Together these actions will enhance the capacity for reform nationally.