Introduction

Created in 1966 to train agronomical engineers, the Hassan II Agronomic and Veterinary Engineers quickly evolved into a polytechnic institute with a triple mission of training, research, and contribution to development.

Activities

In the area of education, the system in place combines one year preparatory to higher studies in agriculture and five years of agronomic studies, which allows for the obtaining of the degree in six years of study after the Bachelor’s of Science in Specialized Agronomic Engineering. The Hassan II AVI also provides training of Doctors of Agronomic Science and Specialized Technicians.
Research is organized at three levels; post-graduate degree research, conducted via the writing of around 250 final dissertations and theses per year; doctoral research; and contractual research. These research activities cover the scientific area of living things and the earth, agricultural engineering, agro alimentary engineering, and topographical engineering, as well as management.
To fulfill its objectives, the Hassan II AVI employs 35 scientific departments spread across two campuses, one in Rabat and the other at Agadir. It possesses computer centers, one agricultural documentation center, and a publishing center, the diffusion of scientific and technical information being a major and constant priority for this institution.
In the area of economic and social sciences, the Hassan II AVI possesses a department called the Department of Human Sciences (DSH), which provides, among other things, the training of fifteen agronomic engineers specializing in agro-economics per year. This training, which operates according to the credit hour system, is based on two post-graduate years; the first is dedicated 2/3 to common education and 1/3 to education in two new options (Economics and Management of Agricultural and Agro-alimentary Businesses, and Engineering of Agricultural and Rural Development); the second year is completely dedicated to the writing of a final dissertation.

Teaching team

To fulfill its objectives, this department employs a group of twenty teacher-researchers specializing in various disciplines (geography, sociology, economics, econometrics, agro-economics, agricultural and rural development project analysis, etc.), of which 6 are directly involved in rural development training. The department also utilizes associate and visiting teacher-researchers specializing in certain disciplines (institutional audit, law and rural institutions, quality management, etc.). All of these educators speak perfect French and some of them speak English as well; half of them are proficient in computers and one course is currently conducted long-distance via the use of the Internet in teaching and training.

In terms of equipment, the department has a computer laboratory available to students with 10 PCs and 1 printer. This laboratory is also used for all courses in the department; the computers are thus rarely available to students of rural development.

Interest of FORMDER project for the institution

For the DSH of the Hassan II AVI, its participation in the FORMDER project is an opportunity that fits perfectly into the process of educational reform in which it is currently engaged. This program will allow it, in particular, to give its students and teacher-researchers the benefit of the experience and expertise of partner universities as it reforms, particularly in regard to the Engineering of Agricultural and Rural Development option.
The FORMDER project also fits perfectly into the reform of Moroccan education (Law 01-00 of May 19, 2000, effective as of 2003), which is aimed particularly at reformulating educational organization on the basis of the following objectives :
• Better inter-institutional integration, particularly via the implementation of core syllabi and interfaces ;
• Identification of appropriate subsidiaries with development needs in the country ;
• Organization of training in module form accessible to the learner ;
• Implementation of syllabi based on orientation, evaluation, and reorientation ;
• Use of new computer and communication technologies.

According to this logic, the FORMDER project could, in some way, constitute a pilot project for the AVI, which would integrate new orientations defined by the Moroccan state.