Measuring Performance and Public Values: Challenges and Issues for Moroccan Universities

Abstract

This article examines the impact of managerial reforms inspired by New Public Management (NPM) on Moroccan universities, with a particular focus on the use of quantitative indicators to measure performance. Drawing on a literature-based documentary analysis, the research questions the alignment of these reforms with the academic and cultural specificities of the Moroccan context. While performance indicators aim to enhance transparency and efficiency within universities, their implementation raises several challenges, such as the lack of adequate infrastructure and the overload of teaching and research staff, thereby undermining the quality of education and research.

Reforms such as Framework Law 01-00 and the ESRI Pact 2030 reflect a clear intention to modernize the higher education sector, yet they also reveal tensions between the pursuit of efficiency and the preservation of public values. The article concludes by stressing the need for a balanced approach that combines both quantitative and qualitative indicators, better adapted to the Moroccan context. Such an approach would enable universities to meet contemporary demands while upholding their traditional mission of education and research.

Classification JEL : M41

Paper type : Theoretical Research