Rabat – As the teachers’ strike in Morocco enters its fourth month, concern is growing over the wasted school year. Experts are calling on teachers to return to the classroom to salvage what’s left of the school year.
In a post on X, Moroccan social development expert and former minister Lahcen Haddad, called on teachers to consider the best interest of Moroccan students and return to classrooms as the government has already made significant efforts to solve the initial cause of the strikes.
الحكومة المغربية قامت بمجهود كبير للتجاوب مع مطالب الأسرة التعليمية. وهذا المجهود سيكلف ميزانية الدولة 18 مليار درهم. وكل ما نقوم به لتحسين وضعية الأساتذة والأطر الإدارية هو أمر محمود ومرغوب فيه. وخَصّْنَا نْعيدو للأسرة التعليمية الاعتبار ونْصونو كرامتهم. وبدونهم لا يستقيم…
— Lahcen Haddad, PhD (@Lahcenhaddad) December 20, 2023
“We all must consider the interest of the students, the interest of eight million boys and girls, the interest of parents and families, the interest of the nation, and the future of upcoming generations. We all must return to our commitment, to teaching, and to the noble task of education and provision,” Haddad wrote on X.
Haddad argued that the government has already made a “great effort” to respond to the demands of the education sector, noting that this “ will cost the state budget 18 billion dirhams.” But the former minister also acknowledged the legitimacy of teachers’ demands, writing that “everything we do to improve the situation of teachers and administrative staff is commendable and desirable.”
He also appeared to call on the governments to “give due consideration to the education sector and preserve their dignity,” stressing: “Without them, reform cannot succeed, nor can we achieve the quality education we all desire.” Regarding teachers’ demand for a more substantial raise, Hadadd wrote that “the state treasury cannot bear more than this at present, especially during a time marked by drought, price hikes, and the negative impact of the international situation on the Moroccan economy.”
Earlier this month, the government announced a raise of MAD 1500 ($149) in response to the ongoing teachers’ strikes that had crippled Morocco’s education sector. The deal was announced following a series of talks between teachers’ unions and a ministerial committee.
Teachers, however, continued to organize strikes, claiming that the unions no longer represent them and relying instead on national assemblies. On Sunday, a number of assemblies announced their intention to continue the strike for another 4 days this week and also to plan a series of public demonstrations. The government-teachers saga started when the education minister announced plans to implement the controversial reform, which teachers say add more duties without offering any kind of compensation.
Following weeks of protests, the government announced that it froze the new reforms, with local news outlets reporting that the government is retracting the reform.
Read Also: Moroccan Teacher Unions’ Call for More Strikes Next Week
