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Rabat – Amid persisting nationwide strikes by Moroccan teachers, the Head of the Government Aziz Akhannouch said that the recent MAD 1,500 increase in teacher salaries is a direct reflection of the country’s unwavering commitment to elevating the status of educators.
Addressing the weekly government council meeting on Monday, Akhannouch emphasized that the overhaul of the education sector can only achieve its objectives by enhancing the status and roles of educators.
“The government is keen on fostering a climate of trust with this group [teachers] through improving their financial and professional conditions,” he said.
Akhannouch noted that the salary increase will impose an annual cost of over MAD 10 billion on the country’s financial portfolio. He added that it marked the highest salary increase in the history of the country.
The government reached an agreement with teachers’ unions on December 10, approving a net salary increase of MAD 1,500 per month for all teachers across all ranks and positions.
This includes an increase of MAD 750 in early 2024 and another MAD 750 in early 2025, totaling MAD 1,500.
The salary increase aims to address the demands of Moroccan teachers, who have been participating in nationwide protests and strikes since the beginning of the school year.
Their demands included the full abandonment of the “New Basic System,” which teachers argue imposes additional responsibilities without adequate compensation. In addition, they demanded improved working conditions and a MAD 3,000 increase in pay.
The teachers found the MAD 1,500 increase insufficient and continued to protest, with teacher assemblies declaring extended strikes.
During a protest in Rabat last week, Morocco World News spoke with protesting teachers who expressed extreme concern with the government’s handling of the situation and further voiced their demands.
“We will never, under any circumstances, agree to return to classrooms unless the basic system is either withdrawn or completely canceled, with the integration of contractual teachers [into the public sector] and a reasonable pay increase that aligns with the inflation that the country is currently experiencing,” member of the National Coordination of Secondary Education Teachers Youssef Achi told MWN.
