University gets Casablanca campus

Coventry University is set to offer programmes at a purpose-built campus in Casablanca under a partnership approach with a Moroccan institution.

The university is working with Morocco’s Superior Institution of Science & Technology (SIST) to provide teacher training and other programmes in areas such as business and science and technology.

SIST, a higher education institute which operates entirely in English in Morocco, will invest £14m to develop a purpose-built campus in Casablanca to host Coventry University’s programmes.

Prof. John Latham, Coventry University vice-chancellor, said: “I’m delighted that we have hosted the UK-Morocco Higher Education Commission’s first meeting, which looked at strengthening links between Morocco and the UK’s higher education sectors. I’m particularly pleased because we have become the first UK university to sign an agreement to set up a campus in Morocco. Our partnership with SIST will give us our first strong relationship with a Moroccan institution, particularly around science and technology and teacher training. We’re also looking at partnerships in nurse training and nurse education and exploring links around research, especially water security and food security. We see Morocco as a gateway to Africa and a country where higher education in the UK overall could have more and further collaborations.”

Dr Tariq Obaid, president of SIST, added: “I’m pleased that our two institutions have decided to work together to deliver teacher training and other disciplines in Morocco. Our partnership with Coventry University has potential to deliver great benefits to our two institutions while contributing immensely to Morocco’s human resources development. Moreover, staff and students in both Morocco and Coventry could benefit from the cross cultural networks that will be developed and the joint activities that will grow once the partnership is established.”