House of Representatives struggles to bridge gap in medical university crisis

Efforts by the majority teams in the House of Representatives to resolve the ongoing crisis affecting medical and pharmacy students are facing challenges. The teams had planned a crucial meeting for Wednesday morning with the parents and guardians of the students to discuss new proposals from Minister of Higher Education Abdellatif Miraoui and previous proposals. However, the meeting did not take place as scheduled.

An informed source within the majority teams said the meeting was canceled because the parents and guardians did not show up. The source, speaking to Hespress, noted that the exact reasons for the absence were unclear and attributed the situation to controversy surrounding the role of parents in the negotiations.

The source explained that tensions have escalated in recent days between student coordinations and parents, particularly on social media platforms like WhatsApp. The discourse has become highly contentious, with some student groups attempting to discourage parents from attending the meeting.

Despite the setback, the source emphasized that the failure of the meeting should not be viewed as a boycott. “The new moves we are making to end the crisis are based on an initiative from the parents themselves,” the source said. “It is illogical for them to seek our mediation and then boycott it.”

The source questioned the authority of student coordinations to prevent parents from engaging with parliamentarians and stressed that MPs, despite being on vacation, are committed to resolving the issue. “We are ready to attend any other meeting requested by parents and guardians,” the source added. “We will continue working on this file until we find a solution that saves the university season.”

The source also clarified that the current efforts are not politically motivated. “If the student committee has any new proposals to end the crisis, we are open to discussing them and conveying them to the Ministry of Education,” the source said.

A member of the National Committee for Medical and Pharmaceutical Students told Hespress that the committee did not take any steps to discourage parents from meeting with parliamentarians. The member stressed that while students have the right to voice their concerns, the involvement of parents in negotiations remains contentious.

Another committee member, who requested anonymity, reaffirmed that the students believe they have the legitimacy to negotiate directly with the Ministry of Education. The member also noted that the technical complexities of the negotiations are beyond the expertise of most parents and guardians.