ABSTRACT
The education system has performed poorly in Morocco with the result that the proportion of Moroccan children in full time education is one of the lowest in the world. This trend is reinforced by the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) adopted by Morocco, and if sustained it could undermine prospects for the development of skills that are crucial for technological progress. According to the World Bank, the level of investment devoted to the development, acquisition and diffusion of technology by firms in Moroccan manufacturing industry is rather low. Competitiveness at international level will thus require the firm to be specialised and professionalised with emphasis on research and development (R&D) activities. The contribution of total factor productivity (TFP) to the expansion of the manufacturing sector is rather low in view of the fact that in modern economic growth TFP contributes, on average, between 20 and 30 per cent to growth performance.
