Moroccan Students Adapt to Hybrid Learning at France’s Elite Ecole Polytechnique

After China, Morocco is the second most represented nationality within this prestigious school. As France is one of the countries most affected by the coronavirus pandemic, the school has decided to alternate between face-to-face and distance learning. According to Gaelle le Gof, director of international relations at the X, lectures will be held remotely, while tutorials and courses with reduced numbers will be held in person. Faced with the still present threat of contamination, the school has implemented innovative educational models while respecting health measures, reports Maroc Diplomatique.

Kenza is in the first year of the STEEM (Energy Environment: Science Technology and Management) Master’s program. She explains that leaving Morocco for France was no easy task. She is delighted to have been able to overcome the difficulties. But she is sad that she cannot enjoy the atmosphere of a normal start of the school year. "I was looking forward to meeting my class and making friends with everyone, there will surely be students who will not be on campus the first few weeks, which is a bit unusual compared to a normal start of the school year," she says.

As for Ines Benbrahim, she is in the first year of the Bachelor of Science program. She also points out that traveling to France was subject to many conditions (exceptional authorization from the prefecture, student visa, PCR test...). Despite these constraints, she was able to arrive on campus in time for additional administrative formalities and other tasks.

Unlike Kenza, Inès thinks that the unusual context does not prevent her from enjoying this extraordinary experience. "I feel a certain difference from not being able to have lectures in the auditorium or in the classroom, but this does not lead to any shortcomings. Thanks to the adaptation efforts of the teaching staff and the students, everything is going well," she added.