The educational sector turmoil is deepening in Morocco as many regional directorates under the Ministry of National Education, Preschool, and Sports have issued suspension orders for numerous striking teachers.
Despite meetings and agreements between relevant stakeholders, the educators’ strike has already lasted more than 11 weeks, driving the government to seek disciplinary measures, including temporary suspension.
The suspension orders, based on Article 73 of the fundamental law, involve interim halts with monthly salary suspensions. The affected teachers risk punitive-oriented hearings before disciplinary committees.
The Ministry of Education has recently released a nationwide plan aimed at standardizing school hours and setting criteria for learning objectives, thereby demonstrating its commitment to ensuring students’ rights to education.
The school year will be extended by one week for each of the three school terms, thereby providing students who must sit for end-of-course exams an additional period of time to complete their curriculum.
The proposal also includes strengthening pedagogical support mechanisms, exam scheduling flexibility, a one-week deferral of national, regional, and provincial standardized exams, and a June 10 start date for the unified national baccalaureate exam.
However, teachers’ associations and unions–in defending teachers’ rights–believe the plan is inadequate and that it will result in continued strikes and protests, as well as the fact that the Ministry did not consider teachers’ initial proposals and demands.
Teachers’ grievances revolve around the controversial fundamental law, which aims to standardize education but has been met with considerable pushback.
Educators have demanded pay raises, bonuses, equal treatment for contract teachers, changes to the promotion structure, adjustment of contract hours, and various other demands.
Strikes influencing more than half of Morocco’s teaching staff have interrupted the education system, causing youngsters to stay at home and courses to be canceled.
Yesterday, thousands of teachers marched in Rabat to seek an equitable outcome to their situation, which has been characterized by strikes for the past three months.
According to Ministry data, it is estimated that 50,000 teachers out of a total of 280,000 went on strike on Wednesday and Thursday, rejecting a deal negotiated between the government and the sector’s main trade union organizations regarding teacher status, the contentiousness of which triggered the original crisis back in October.