Abdallah Saaf (born 1949) is a Moroccan political scientist and academic who was the minister of education between 2000 and 2002. He taught at different universities in Morocco and is the professor at the Faculty of Governance, Economic and Social Sciences of the

Mohammed VI Polytechnic University Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (French: Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique, commonly abbreviated as UM6P) is a Moroccan non-profit private research university. Its main campus is located in Ben Guerir, near Marrakech, with branches in Raba ...

(UM6P), professor emeritus of political sciences at

Mohammed V University Mohammed V University (, french: Université Mohammed-V de Rabat), in Rabat, Morocco, was founded in 1957 under a royal decree ( Dahir). It is the first modern university in Morocco after the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez. History The uni ...

and director of the Center for Studies in Social Sciences Research.

Early life and education

Saaf was born in

Kenitra Kenitra ( ar, القُنَيْطَرَة, , , ; ber, ⵇⵏⵉⵟⵔⴰ, Qniṭra; french: Kénitra) is a city in north western Morocco, formerly known as Port Lyautey from 1932 to 1956. It is a port on the Sebou River, Sebou river, has a popul ...

on 19 September 1949. He graduated from the University of Paris II and from the University of Rabat (today Mohammed V University) receiving a degree in law. He completed his PhD studies in public law in 1978.

Career

Following his graduation Saaf taught at different universities and held several academic administrative posts. He joined a leftist party, Organization of the Popular Democratic Action (OADP), founded in 1983. It was part of the

Socialist Union of Popular Forces The Socialist Union of Popular Forces ( ar, الاتحاد الاشتراكي للقوات الشعبية, translit=Al-Ittihad Al-Ishtirakiy Lilqawat Al-Sha'abiyah; zgh, ⵜⴰⵎⵓⵏⵜ ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵍⴰⵢⵜ ⵏⵉⵖⴰⵍⵍⵏ ⵉⴳ� ...

. In 1998 he was named as the deputy minister of technical and secondary education which he held until 2000. In 2000 he was appointed minister of education and was in office until 2002. He served in these posts in the cabinet led by

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Abderrahmane Youssoufi Abderrahmane Youssoufi ( ; ar, عبد الرحمن اليوسفي; 8 March 1924 – 29 May 2020) was a Moroccan politician and human rights lawyer who served as the 12th Prime Minister of Morocco from 1998 to 2002, serving under kings Hassan I ...

. In 2011 immediately following the events across

Arab countries The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western As ...

known as

Arab Spring The Arab Spring ( ar, الربيع العربي) was a series of Nonviolent resistance, anti-government protests, Rebellion, uprisings and Insurgency, armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in T ...

Saaf was elected as a member of the commission which drafted the revisions of the

Constitution of Morocco The Constitution of Morocco is the supreme law of the Kingdom of Morocco. The constitution defines Morocco as a constitutional monarchy and lays out the fundamental rights of Moroccan citizens, it also defines the basis and structures of governm ...

. He is the founder of the Moroccan Association of Political Science. He has worked as faculty member at the

and is the professor emeritus of political sciences at

. He is also director of the Center for Studies in Social Sciences Research.

Work

In addition to his publications on political sciences Saaf published books about his daily bus journeys in Rabat. The first one was ''Carnets de bus'' published by Bus Notebooks in 1999. The other one was translated into English under the title ''A Significant Year'' in 2021.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saaf, Abdallah 1949 births Living people Education Ministers of Morocco People from Kenitra Mohammed V University alumni Mohammed V University faculty Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas University alumni Moroccan political scientists 20th-century Moroccan writers 21st-century Moroccan writers Moroccan travel writers Socialist Union of Popular Forces politicians