Visa Delays Block Moroccan Math Stars from European Olympiad
Doha – Morocco's female mathematics team has been barred from participating in the 2025 European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO) held in Kosovo from April 11-17 due to delays in visa application processing.
According to converging reports, the talented students, who had rigorously prepared for three years, were notified just two days before their scheduled departure that they would not represent their country at the prestigious international competition.
'We discovered on April 9 that Morocco would not participate in EGMO 2025,' lamented one team member in a statement.
The students subsequently ascertained that their exclusion stemmed from authorities' failure to submit visa applications in a timely manner, despite participant names being known for over two months.
This incident brings to mind what occurred last year when the Moroccan national male team was similarly excluded from the 2024 International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) in London due to identical administrative shortcomings.
That fiasco triggered widespread public outcry and parliamentary scrutiny, with a written question directed to the Minister of Education, yet apparently yielded no accountability or procedural improvements.
The 2025 team, comprising the exceptional students Khadija Benaissa, Lina Chakir, Imane Belarbi, and Nada Senhaji, had invested countless hours in intensive training sessions over months, sacrificing personal time to prepare for this esteemed scientific competition.
'These students toiled for hours every day throughout their high school years,' disclosed family members of the affected students to the press. 'The result should have been recognition of their efforts at a prestigious international competition. Instead, they faced an unjustified exclusion.'
The families vehemently decried the situation as 'not merely a simple administrative error' but rather 'an insult to the intelligence and effort of exceptional students, a blatant disregard for the value of hard work and ambition, and a blow to Morocco's image in the international scientific arena.'
How bureaucracy killed a generation's hope
The students' journey to participate involved a demanding selection process through competitive tests, followed by rigorous preparation that qualified them to represent Morocco at this high-level event.
Their exclusion has profoundly demoralized these young mathematicians who viewed the competition as a rare opportunity to showcase their talents and represent Moroccan excellence in a challenging field like mathematics.
When families attempted to contact the Ministry of National Education and officials at the Central Excellence Unit of the National Center for School Examinations and Learning Assessment, they encountered bureaucratic obstacles.
The ministry reportedly did not respond to inquiries, while the Excellence Unit requested communication permission before providing any clarifications.
In recent years, Morocco has distinguished itself through outstanding performances in mathematics contests.
In 2023, the country secured first place at the Pan-African Mathematical Olympiads in Kigali, Rwanda, with an impressive 159 points, surpassing strong competitors like Algeria and South Africa. The winning team collected two gold medals, three silver medals, and one bronze medal.
The participation in international competitions offers invaluable networking opportunities and can significantly enhance students' future academic and career prospects.
As one mathematics organization noted about last year's IMO exclusion, 'The networking that occurs during the week-long event is invaluable, allowing them to exchange ideas with some of the most brilliant scientists and mathematicians in the world.'
For the second consecutive year, administrative negligence has crushed the aspirations of Morocco's brightest mathematical minds, raising serious questions about the commitment of authorities to nurturing and promoting the country's exceptional talents on the global stage. Tags: Mathematics OlympiadMoroccan Studentsvisa delays
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