Rabat – Parents and Guardians’ Union of students in private educational institutions in Morocco sent a letter to the Ministry of Education, urging them to reconsider the recent school transport policy that was implemented.
Initially, the department of Education announced back-to-school health measures on September 30, related to school buses, cafeterias, and student dorms.
The ministry’s school modalities announcement revealed only vaccinated students would be allowed to take advantage of school transportation. Meanwhile, parents and guardians consider the decision as penalizing for students who have yet to receive their first dose of vaccine.
They have challenged the back-to-school health protocol, and requested Said Amzazi, the Minister Education, to issue new regulations on this matter which, according to them, harms “the interests of families and their children.”
After Morocco’s Ministry of Health eased COVID-19 restrictions on October 1, the Union’s Board of Directors wrote, “This makes us perplexed by the duality of dealing with the pandemic, which is decreasing day by day, especially since none of our fellow citizens, young or old, should be excluded.”
Over 7.5 million students in Morocco returned to school last week in-person, with no requirement for vaccination against COVID-19.
Morocco aims to vaccinate 3 million students and the call on people to respect the usual social distancing measures and wearing masks in public spaces continue.
As of last week, nearly 2.4 million students aged 12 to 17 have been vaccinated, of which nearly 720,000 students have received their second dose.
