The oldest standing university on earth is in Morocco. Known as Al-Qarawiyyin, the university was founded in 859 AD by a young princess from Tunisia, Fatima al-Fihri.

Al-Qarawiyyin is the oldest university in the world

The university has been recognized by UNESCO and the Guinness World Records as the oldest existing, continuously operating university, as well as, the first institution to issue educational degrees.

It is located in the city of Fes, which was once a leading spiritual and educational centre of the Muslim world.

History recounts that over 1200 years ago, al-Fihri and her family moved from Qayrawan (modern-day Tunisia) to Fes, Morocco.

Mosque of al-Qarawiyyin — TripAdvisor

After her father’s death, al-Fihri decided to spend her family’s inheritance on building a mosque for her community with a madrasa, Islamic school to give people the opportunity to practice their faith and still expand their knowledge on spiritual issues.

The mosque, which began with enough room for 22,000 worshipers, is one of the largest in Africa.

Over the years, Al-Qarawiyyin became one of the key religious and educational centres in the Muslim world.

The madrasa was initially meant to focus on religious instruction and Quran memorization but later expanded to teach calligraphy, Arabic grammar, Sufism, medicine, music and astronomy.

In 1947, the school was registered into the state education system and ten years after, chemistry, physics and foreign languages were introduced.

In 1963, it joined the modern state university system, and in 1965 it was officially renamed “University of al- Qarawiyyin” rather than simply “al- Qarawiyyin”.

Books of the Qarawiyyin library — TRT World

The university, during its early days, attracted some of the highest quality teachers at the time.

It also received many applications from different parts of Morocco and Islamic West Africa, as well as, Muslim Central Asia, hence the school came out with a rigorous selection process.

Some of these conditions are still in place currently. For instance, students applying to study at the University must have memorized the whole Quran if they are even to be considered.

The university has the oldest library in the world — www.alaraby.co.uk

The university is still traditional in the way it teaches. Students, especially those between the ages of 13 and 30, sit in semi-circles around a sheikh to read texts, ask or answer questions in particular areas of interest.

The University of Al-Qarawiyyin’s library is also recognized as the oldest in the world. It contains over 4000 manuscripts, many of which date back to the 9th century.

Source: face2faceafrica

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The nominee is expected to take up his appointment for a 5 years and 8 months term, starting from 1 June 2018.

The WHO Regional Committee comprises the following Members: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

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Currently, in the governorates of Central, Southern and Northern Tunisia, around 40 per cent of young graduates are unable to find work. This situation is attributed to a range of factors, including the public sector’s limited capacity to employ more young men and women, a lack of diversity in the private sector, and a mismatch between the skills required by the private sector and those offered by graduates.

The Mashrou3i project has helped to create more than 1,250 jobs to date, including by helping more than 160 start-up businesses mainly in the governorates of Kairouan, Kasserine, Kef and Sidi Bouzid. During the second phase of this public-private partnership, the project will be expanded to 14 vulnerable governorates of Tunisia and US$14 million will be invested to provide direct support to aspiring and existing entrepreneurs through training courses, business coaching and technical assistance in Beja, Gafsa, Gabès, Jendouba, Kairouan, Kasserine, Kébili, Kef, Medenine, Sidi Bouzid, Siliana, Tataouine, Tozeur and Zaghouan. It will also help enhance the knowledge and capacity of local business support and higher educational institutions.

“This initiative will provide young men and women in Tunisia’s most vulnerable governorates with skills required to be entrepreneurs and offer business coaching services to help them start their businesses or to be able to be competitive on the job market. We expect to reach more than 25,000 aspiring and existing entrepreneurs and create at least 6,000 additional jobs in Tunisia within the next five years,” said Glenn Rogers, Senior Development Advisor for USAID in Tunisia.

Philippe Scholtès, Managing Director at UNIDO, who attended the launch, added: “Unemployment among Tunisia’s educated youth remains a major challenge. Through such public-private partnerships we can pool and leverage our expertise and resources and support Tunisia on its path of inclusive and sustainable industrial development. By working together, we can ensure the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”

Flavio Lavisolo, Head of the Italian Development Cooperation in Tunisia, added: “Our efforts aim to stimulate private and public investment, and help companies increase their competitiveness and overcome constraints to growth. This, in return, will secure new employment opportunities for people living in disadvantaged governorates, mainly for young women and men. The project is in line with the new priorities of the Italian Cooperation in Tunisia, which focus on regional development and job creation.”

Mashrou3i will leverage the HP Foundation’s Learning Initiative for Entrepreneurs (HP LIFE) Program, which provides free online IT and business skills training for people all over the world. HP LIFE will help young Tunisian entrepreneurs develop the knowledge and skills they need to start, grow and run successful businesses.

“The Mashrou3i project is a scalable social innovation model with proven results,” said Jihed Jahdour, Managing Director, HP Inc. Tunisia. “There is an urgent need for innovative solutions that provide access to quality education and enable economic opportunity for everyone everywhere, wherever they are in the world. The second phase of the project signals the continuation of our successful partnership to foster employment opportunities for young men and women in Tunisia.”

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