Draft:National School of Forestry Engineers

The National School of Forestry Engineers (ENFI) is a Moroccan engineering school located in Salé.

Overview
Established in December 1968 under the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, the National School of Forestry Engineers (ENFI) is tasked with training senior professionals in forestry and natural resource management at both national and regional levels. It has played a crucial role in educating engineers for the Department of Water and Forests of the Kingdom of Morocco. ENFI's research and development efforts have significantly influenced forestry, agricultural strategies, and mountain development projects.

History
Before the late 1960s, only technical agents and assistants were trained in Morocco by the Royal Forestry School (ERF) in Salé. With a shortage of engineer-level professionals trained mainly in French schools, the Maghreb's forest administration leaders, during the first Maghreb Forest Week in Tunis in 1967, endorsed the idea of training their own senior forestry professionals regionally. The Moroccan government, with support from the United Nations and FAO, established the National School of Forestry Engineers (ENFI) on December 2, 1968, within the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform to meet this need. The effectiveness of the program led Maghreb Forest Administration officials to propose extending training to Sahelian countries and other African nations. ENFI admitted its first non-Maghreb students in the 1975 academic year. Since its inception, ENFI has undergone several phases of development in higher forestry education and training:

Phase I (1968-1970)
Initially, forestry education spanned two years for students who had completed two years of higher education in Science faculties or Agricultural Schools (such as IAV Hassan II or ENSAT in Tunis). Emphasis was placed on practical training in basic technical activities: silviculture, forest management, soil conservation, forestry legislation, etc.

Phase II (1971-1985)
The 1971 agricultural education reform introduced a comprehensive overhaul of the agricultural education system, including a preparatory year for higher agricultural studies (APESA). This reform led ENFI to introduce a first year focused on basic knowledge acquisition (Agronomy, Mechanization, General Economics, Statistics, Botany, Bioclimatology, Topography, etc.). In 1972, FAO's first project evaluation mission resulted in the creation of a forest pathway development chair and the initiation of end-of-study projects and inter-year internships.

Phase III (from 1986)
Another reform in 1986 unified agronomic and forestry higher education into a single six-year (Bac + 6 years) engineering curriculum, including two years of common agronomy preparation (1st cycle). This reform aimed to meet current education and training needs and improve graduates' integration into the workforce. Since then, ENFI has offered a six-year program divided into three two-year cycles: the first cycle focuses on basic sciences, the second on general forestry, and the third on specialization.

Phase IV (from 1992)
The Forestry Corps is a paramilitary body at both national and international levels. In line with royal directives to provide comprehensive training, military education was introduced at ENFI starting from the 1992-1993 academic year.

Mission
ENFI's primary mission is to train Water and Forestry Engineers. The school also offers continuous training sessions and conducts studies and research on behalf of governmental bodies and private entities related to forestry and sustainable management of natural and environmental resources. ENFI participates in research programs and development projects led by national and international organizations.

For Moroccan Students
Only students who successfully complete the preparatory years for higher agronomic studies (APESA) at IAV Hassan II in Rabat or the National School of Agriculture in Meknès (ENAM) can pursue their studies at ENFI, particularly those from the second year of IAV's "Agronomy" program. Each year, 15 to 20 students are selected based on ranking and preference to study forestry (2nd and 3rd cycles) at ENFI. In addition to academic selection, candidates must pass sports and psychotechnical tests for final admission to forestry studies.

For more information on admission requirements and study procedures at APESA, readers are referred to the websites of IAV Hassan II and ENAM.

For International Students
Since 1975, ENFI has admitted foreign students from various countries, particularly African nations. Each year, around ten places are reserved for international students to enroll in the 2nd and 3rd cycles at ENFI, provided they meet the following conditions: - Maximum age of 25 by October 1st of the admission year. - Holder of a scientific baccalaureate or equivalent diploma. - Holder of a DEUG in Biology-Geology or equivalent diploma. - Submission of academic transcripts from the 1st cycle and a handwritten letter of motivation. - Submission of the application dossier through the Ministry of Cooperation. - Direct applications to ENFI are automatically rejected.

Completed dossiers received via Moroccan cooperation channels are reviewed by a committee of teaching researchers appointed by the Management to decide on admission based on available slots.

Education
Education at ENFI spans six years across three two-year cycles, comprising theoretical academic instruction, practical applications in classrooms and fieldwork, educational tours, professional internships, and preparation of an individual thesis at the end of studies.

- The first cycle, held at IAV Hassan-II or ENAM, focuses on acquiring scientific and agronomic foundations. - The 2nd cycle, at ENFI, involves two years of forestry education for all students. The curriculum emphasizes basic courses preparing students for fundamental forestry education in techniques and forest management. - The 3rd cycle, also at ENFI, is a two-year specialization cycle. The first year focuses on option-specific subjects, while the second year centers on research thesis preparation in one of six options: Forest Management, Ecology and Natural Resource Management (GRN), Forest Economics, Geomatics of Natural Resources, National Park Management, and Valorization of Forest Products.