Moroccan Government, Teachers Unions Agree to ‘Freeze’ New Basic System

Rabat – The Moroccan government and teachers’ unions reached a consensus on Monday to “freeze” the controversial “New Basic System,” which has triggered nationwide protests among teachers in recent months, SNRT News reported.

The agreement, which followed a meeting between the head of the government Aziz Akhannouch and representatives from teachers’ unions, focuses on amending certain aspects of the system and addressing concerns raised by unions.

This implies a temporary suspension of the reform until the government concludes modifications to the system.

Younes Ferachine, the Secretary of the National Union of Education affiliated with the Democratic Confederation of Labor, told SNRT News that these adjustments would be completed before January 15, 2024.

Ferachine emphasized that unions reiterated the need for the government to increase teachers’ salaries.

Akhannouch announced earlier this month the formation of a committee tasked with facilitating dialogue between the government and teachers, particularly concerning the “New Basic System” and other related issues.

The committee is chaired by the Minister of National Education, Primary Education, and Sports Younes Sekkouri Sekkouri and the Delegate Minister for Budget Fouzi Lekjaa.

This committee is tasked with engaging in dialogue with teachers after their return to classrooms, added the report.

Teachers have held a series of strikes and demonstrations across Moroccan cities in protest of the new system.

At the heart of their demand is a call for the Ministry of Education to scrap the reform on the grounds that it unfairly increases teachers’ workload without providing adequate compensation.

Morocco World News spoke to a protesting teacher, who described the reform as the “most dangerous law” in Morocco’s education sector and emphasized the legitimacy of their battle.

The 2023-24 school year in Morocco has been marred by persistent protests, and labor unions have announced plans to extend their demonstrations, urging teachers to stay out of class to compel the government back to the negotiation table.

The National Assembly for Education, a workers union, announced plans for another four-day strike this week, and described the government’s recent efforts to return to the negotiation table as “misleading.”

The union accused the government of “excluding the true representatives of educators.”