For almost five months, medical and pharmacy students in Morocco have been boycotting theoretical and practical courses, as well as exams in protest against certain government decisions.
This crisis, which has paralyzed the faculties of medicine and pharmacy since the start of the 2023-2024 academic year, has led to high tensions.
The councillors of the second chamber of the Moroccan parliament have asked the head of government, Aziz Akhannouch, to intervene to resolve the situation, as he has done in other similar cases.
In a request addressed to the head of government, it is stressed that these tensions stem from the boycott of courses by students, in response to certain government policy decisions concerning public health and the training of health professionals.
Signed by M’barek Sbaîi, president of the Mouvement Populaire (MP) group, Khalid Sati of the Union Nationale du Travail au Maroc (UNTM) union, and Mustapha Dahmani, coordinator of the Groupement de la Justice Sociale, the petition insists that disciplinary decisions taken against the students have exacerbated the situation rather than encouraging dialogue.
Aware of the seriousness of this crisis, the councillors have taken several initiatives to remedy it.
They recently called for a meeting of the Education, Cultural and Social Affairs Commission in the presence of the Minister of Higher Education, Abdellatif Miraoui.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the tensions in the faculties of medicine and pharmacy, and to consider ways of restoring the normal functioning of studies and training.
Following a meeting held on April 19, 2024, which was closely attended by students and their families, a public communiqué was issued addressing the issues raised and the responses provided by the Minister.
However, new disciplinary decisions against some students have complicated mediation efforts.
The request also stresses that the success of the royal social protection project, in particular the generalization of medical coverage, requires an improvement in the healthcare system, which in turn requires quality university training.
Consequently, it calls for the opening of a direct national dialogue with the medical students’ committee, and the cancellation of all sanctions against them.
This request, backed by over 4,000 signatures, has been lodged with the head of government, illustrating the commitment of citizens to a participatory and democratic resolution of this crisis.
Despite calls for dialogue, Minister Abdellatif Miraoui asserted that there would be no national discussions with the students, prompting criticism from parents and the petition committee.
Speaking to the press, the chairman of the petition committee addressed to the head of government insisted on the importance of dialogue from the outset of the crisis to avoid an escalation of tensions, and denounced political maneuvering as not contributing to a constructive resolution.
He also stressed that, although not all the students’ demands are likely to be met, dialogue would pave the way for mutual concessions and solutions acceptable to all parties involved.For almost five months, Morocco’s medical and pharmacy students have been boycotting theoretical and practical courses in protest against certain government decisions.
This crisis, which has paralyzed the faculties of medicine and pharmacy since the start of the 2023-2024 academic year, has led to high tensions. The councillors of the second chamber of the Moroccan parliament have asked the head of government, Aziz Akhannouch, to intervene to resolve the situation, as he has done in other similar cases.
In a request addressed to the head of government, it is stressed that these tensions stem from the boycott of classes by students, in response to certain government policy decisions concerning public health and the training of health professionals.
Signed by M’barek Sbaîi, president of the Mouvement Populaire (MP) group, Khalid Sati of the Union nationale du travail au Maroc (UNTM) union, and Mustapha Dahmani, coordinator of the groupement de la justice sociale, the petition insists that the disciplinary decisions taken against the students have exacerbated the situation rather than encouraging dialogue.
Aware of the seriousness of this crisis, the councillors have taken several initiatives to address it.
They recently called for a meeting of the Education, Cultural and Social Affairs Commission in the presence of the Minister of Higher Education, Abdellatif Miraoui.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the tensions in the faculties of medicine and pharmacy, and to consider ways of restoring the normal functioning of studies and training.
Following a meeting held on April 19, 2024, closely attended by students and their families, a public statement was issued addressing the issues raised and the responses provided by the Minister.
However, new disciplinary decisions against some students have complicated mediation efforts.
The request also stresses that the success of the royal social protection project, in particular the generalization of medical coverage, requires an improvement in the healthcare system, which in turn requires quality university training.
Consequently, it calls for the opening of a direct national dialogue with the medical students’ committee, and the cancellation of all sanctions against them.
This request, backed by over 4,000 signatures, has been lodged with the head of government, illustrating citizens’ commitment to a participatory and democratic resolution of this crisis.
Despite calls for dialogue, Minister Abdellatif Miraoui asserted that there would be no national discussions with the students, prompting criticism from parents and the petition committee.
Speaking to the press, the Chairman of the Committee for the Petition to the Head of Government stressed the importance of dialogue from the outset of the crisis to avoid escalating tensions, and denounced political maneuvering as not contributing to a constructive resolution.
He also stressed that, although not all the students’ demands were likely to be met, dialogue would pave the way for mutual concessions and solutions acceptable to all parties involved.
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