‘Cash for Master’s Degrees’: A Public Scandal Exposes Deep Corruption in Moroccan Universities

The cash-for-master’s scandal at a Moroccan university has exposed a deep flaw in the country’s education system—particularly in academia—after becoming a public issue that shook society.

The Court of Appeals in Marrakech ordered the detention of a professor from Ibn Zohr University in Agadir as part of an ongoing investigation into suspected corruption within the university.

In a statement issued on May 14, 2025, the court explained that the decision followed an interrogation by the investigating judge, who ordered the professor, identified as A.Q. (Ahmed Qilesh), to be held in pretrial detention.

Six others were placed under judicial supervision, including the professor’s wife, who is a lawyer; the head of the court clerk’s office in Safi; his son, a trainee lawyer; two other lawyers; and another professor from the same university.

Investigations revealed that approximately 8 billion centimes (roughly 80 million dollars) were found in the wife’s bank account, raising suspicions that the money was obtained through the sale of graduate degrees and brokerage in employment opportunities.

The case has sparked concerns over the impact such scandals may have on the reputation of educational institutions in Morocco.

A Devastating Failure

Mohamed Darwish, head of the National Observatory for Education and Training Systems, emphasized that these incidents severely damage the reputation of the teaching profession and tarnish Morocco’s image regionally, continentally, and internationally.

Speaking to the local outlet Madar21 on May 15, Darwish described the situation as deeply painful, attributing it to the reckless actions of a small group of administrators or professors. He stressed that their misconduct overshadows the vast majority of professors who serve with integrity and dedication to the noble mission of higher education in Morocco.

Darwish warned that such misconduct harms the image of universities, contributes to moral collapse within the academic community and broader society, and that falsifying degrees has serious consequences for other professions once these documents are used for hiring or promotion. He called it a real threat to professional standards.

He stressed the urgent need for action from the Ministry of Higher Education, universities, labor unions, civil society organizations, and the Public Prosecution Office, warning that time is running out. Higher education, he said, is one of Morocco’s diplomatic frontlines, and university professors represent a bright image of modern Morocco.

“The arrest of a university professor, with eight million centimes found in his wife’s possession, is no ordinary news,” writer Mustafa Elfanne posted on Facebook.

“It’s a story that hits like an earthquake—casting doubt on the state, the government, parliament, and the entire university system.”

“If it’s true that this professor amassed such sums through brokerage, manipulation, and forgery of diplomas and degrees, then the matter is extremely serious and tragic. This is about the country’s education system and the credibility of its top intellectual class,” he added.

“I suspect that even the cocaine and drug trade wouldn’t generate this kind of money—millions piling on top of each other. In my view, every state institution and official must recognize the danger this poses to the very foundation of the state.”

“This is a serious crisis that may require questioning all education ministers, all former heads of government, and all university presidents in order to answer this troubling and bewildering question,” Elfanne said.

“How did Moroccan universities and higher education sink to such depths of disgrace and utter failure, to the point that none of our universities are even ranked or recognized internationally?”

“So what is the solution to these chronic flaws that have eroded the core values, ethics, customs, and traditions of Moroccan universities?”

“Perhaps there is no solution on the horizon, especially when we see positions of authority being handed to those who are unqualified,” he concluded.

“It has reached the point where we see education ministers in the current government who can’t even sound out a few words written in Moroccan Arabic using Latin script—not even Arabic script.”

A Forest of Corruption

Activist Noureddine Ajouharten argued that “amid this widespread outrage, we must ask a deeper question: Is the [Ahmed] Qilesh case an isolated incident—or simply a reflection of a broader, more dangerous problem?”

In a Facebook post on May 18, Ajouharten answered: “The truth is becoming undeniable—Qilesh is merely the tree that hides the forest of corruption within Moroccan universities.”

“For years, there have been signs and evidence of illegal practices within universities, ranging from favoritism and clientelism in master's and PhD admissions, to political and union interference in recruitment and selection, and even scandals involving harassment and money-for-grades schemes.”

“All of these phenomena reflect a serious deviation in how universities function, turning them from spaces of learning and knowledge into arenas of extortion and narrow personal interests,” he added.

“Trying to reduce the scandal to the individual case of Ahmed Qilesh—regardless of the extent of his involvement—is an oversimplification that distorts reality.”

Ajouharten affirmed that “corruption in Moroccan universities runs deep, starting with a lack of transparency in access to master’s programs, weak oversight of academic performance, the absence of real accountability, and the normalization of unethical practices in some faculties.”

“What’s even more troubling is that most past cases of university corruption were either covered up or went unpunished, which only paves the way for their recurrence and expansion.”

Ajouharten concluded by stressing: “It’s time to treat the university as a national concern that not only affects students and professors, but the future of Morocco as a whole. Because a country without honest education is a country doomed to decline.”

Genuine Accountability

“When corruption reaches the walls of the university, when degrees are no longer earned but bought through bribery, extortion, and favoritism, it marks a dangerous decline. It signals that corruption is no longer confined to the margins but has taken root at the heart of our academic institutions,” said Moroccan politician Mohamed Yatim.

In an article published on May 24 via the Justice and Development Party’s website, Yatim added: “Only God knows where this will lead as religious and moral foundations weaken in the face of corruption’s advance, even among groups once seen as role models of integrity and uprightness.”

“Of course, we must avoid generalizations—but this incident and others sound the alarm. They also reflect a broader vulnerability to corruption at various social levels [..] and only God knows what remains hidden behind the scenes, yet to be uncovered, though its stench is already in the air.”

Academic Walid Bougrine described the cash-for-master’s scandal, where degrees are granted without merit in exchange for money, as “a multidimensional crisis, the most dangerous aspect of which is that it undermines the credibility of the entire educational system and erodes public trust in qualified professionals.”

“The absence of strict oversight mechanisms and real accountability makes the education system vulnerable to exploitation, stripping degrees of their value and weakening the authority of academic institutions—this is a deep ethical failure within some parts of the educational sector,” he told Al-Estiklal.

“Naturally, when degrees become purchasable, true talent is sidelined and opportunities are handed to the unqualified.”

“This has far-reaching consequences, notably degrading service quality in critical sectors like education, healthcare, and public administration. One of the most dangerous outcomes of the spread of fake degrees is the loss of public confidence in educational institutions and in the qualifications they award,” Bougrine added.

Despite the gravity of the scandal, the response from the Ministry of Higher Education was weak and limited, issuing only a brief statement announcing its intention to open an internal investigation, without taking any urgent steps to contain the fallout.

This hesitant response triggered a wave of criticism. Many observers argued that the ministry should have taken bold actions, such as dispatching a full audit team to the implicated university, suspending academic accreditation for the master’s programs under suspicion, and publishing a transparent report exposing fraud and illicit profiteering within certain faculties.