MPs appeal to Ministers amid ongoing medical student protests

In recent months, Morocco has witnessed widespread protests by medical students, highlighting significant challenges in the education sector.

Amidst these protests, a critical issue has come to light regarding the rights of students applying to private medical and pharmacy colleges who wish to change their academic path or enroll in public institutions.

Khalid Es-satte, Parliamentary Advisor for the National Labor Union of Morocco (UNMT), has addressed a formal letter to the Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Innovation, that he sent to Hespress EN directly.

The letter inquires for action to safeguard students’ rights, asking for measures to protect those who have applied to private institutions but wish to change their academic path or enroll in public colleges, and ensuring they are not unfairly penalized financially or academically.

Traditionally, the results of entrance exams for private medical and pharmacy colleges coincide with those of public institutions, offering students a fair chance to choose between them.

However, this year, private colleges announced their results before the entrance exams for public institutions scheduled for August 3, 2024. This premature announcement has created undue pressure on students, as private institutions have mandated registration within three days of the results, requiring full annual fee payment (131,500 dirhams at Mohammed VI University of Health Sciences) and complete documentation submission.

Notably, these fees are non-refundable, even if the student is later accepted into a public institution or decides to change their academic path, and the deadline for registration in private universities is July 25, 2024, preceding the public entrance exams.