The Instituto Cervantes lays the symbolic “foundation stone” of its new headquarters in Casablanca

The Diplomat This past Friday, July 4th, the Instituto Cervantes symbolically laid the "foundation stone" of the comprehensive renovation project for its headquarters in Casablanca, a historic building located on Alger Street, which "will be transformed into a leading center for the promotion of the Spanish language and culture in Morocco." Luis García Montero, director of the Instituto Cervantes, and the Spanish ambassador to Morocco, Enrique Ojeda, spoke at the ceremony. The symbolic foundation stone laying ceremony included an urn containing representative items, such as the official minutes of the ceremony, coins, the day's newspapers, and the publications "Don Quixote: Moroccan Readings" and the Institute's 2024 yearbook, "Spanish in the World." The director of the Instituto Cervantes stated during the ceremony that this "foundation" is "the result of work from the past that brings to life the institution's hope for the future." For García Montero, the Institute maintains a "historical relationship" with this country and "launching the renovation of this center ensures the presence of Spanish in Morocco and opens horizons for the future." For his part, the Spanish ambassador to Morocco, Enrique Ojeda, stated that the opening of this new headquarters represents a "firm commitment" to the relationship between the two countries. "In this challenge, Spanish culture and teaching are fundamental," he added. The Instituto Cervantes established its Casablanca headquarters on Argel Street in the early 1990s, in a building with two floors and a basement. With the new renovation, the building will have more than 2,300 square meters of built area, plus nearly another 1,000 square meters of green areas, courtyards, and open spaces. The renovation of the building, built in 1934 and with some areas damaged, was planned for 2024, and the building permit was granted months later, with an expected completion date of 2026. During the construction period, the institution has temporarily relocated its offices to the Cervantes University classroom building in Casablanca, located on Curie Street, very close to the headquarters, which is beginning its renovation on Alger Street. This renovation was designed by architects Jesús Ulargui—who drafted the basic and execution project for the Spanish public company TRAGSA—and Omar Alaoui. The project aims to restore and revitalize an emblematic building of the city, which represents "a valuable testament to Spain's presence and cultural action" in Casablanca, to adapt it to the current needs of the Cervantes University. Following the renovation, the new building will house administrative spaces, a library, an auditorium, a dozen classrooms, staff rooms, and meeting and activity areas such as a courtyard, a literary café, and gardens, as well as rest areas for staff and the public. Spanish in Morocco Morocco has the second largest number of Instituto Cervantes centers in the world, surpassed only by Brazil, and is one of the leading countries in terms of teaching Spanish. According to data collected in the Instituto Cervantes' 2023-2024 report, Morocco has 12,774 native speakers and 1,741,711 with limited proficiency, for a total of 1,754,485 potential Spanish users. Regarding students, this African country has 43,261 Spanish students in primary, secondary, and vocational education; 1,772 in university education, another 4,839 in other centers, and 12,386 students enrolled in Instituto Cervantes centers and AVE (online courses), for a total of 62,258. The Instituto Cervantes in Casablanca ranks fifth in hours per student among the Institute's network of centers, with nearly 173,000 hours in the 2023-2024 academic year, with a sustained increase over the last three academic years (in the most recent, it was 37% compared to the previous academic year). In the 2023-2024 academic year, enrollment at the Casablanca center reached 5,258 students, while DELE candidates reached 1,508. In total, the academic department of this center saw a 20% increase in students interested in general courses in the most recent academic year, both in-person and online. Likewise, Spanish courses for children and adolescents have also increased by nearly 10%, while the growth has also been reflected in the number of DELE candidates, which has grown by 24% compared to the previous year, with the opening of five new exam centers in Casablanca and its surrounding area.

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