Students escalate fight against paid university hours with sit-in and nationwide mobilization

Students who work as civil servants or employees are stepping up their campaign against fees for flexible university schedules, with a national coordination calling for a sit-in Aug. 23.

The National Coordination of Civil Servants and Employees Subject to Paid Flexible Hours was created Aug. 3 to challenge fees imposed on working students in public universities.

The group says the dispute goes beyond the cost of the program and concerns equal access to public higher education.

The coordination says it was formed independently of political parties and unions in response to Law No. 59.24 and the introduction of fees for working students in the public and private sectors.

Under the law, students pay MAD 5,000for each year of a bachelor’s degree, MAD 15,000 for each year of a master’s degree and MAD 20,000 for each year of a doctorate, which is limited to four years.

The coordination says the fees are too high for many Moroccans, despite being presented as symbolic contributions, and says that the system risks turning access to university into a question of financial means.

The group is also invoking Article 31 of Morocco’s Constitution, which says the state and public institutions must work to ensure equal access to education.

It notes that imposing high fees on working students could effectively prevent many civil servants and employees from continuing their university studies.

The coordination is questioning an exemption granted to employees of the Ministry of Higher Education, saying the difference in treatment should be addressed.

The dispute has already reached Parliament. Fatima Tamni, a member of the Federation of the Democratic Left, recently questioned the higher education minister about the new fees.

Tamni said that annual costs reaching tens of thousands of dirhams could make access to master’s and doctoral programs dependent on students’ ability to pay.

The coordination is demanding an end to the mandatory nature of the paid flexible-hours system, calling for compensation for students who faced pressure or sanctions after refusing the system and refunds for those who were charged fees before the group was created.