Clearly, it’s back to square one. After three weeks of waiting, the initiative of theInstitution of the Kingdom Ombudsman aimed at finding a solution to the crisis which has paralyzed the Faculties of medicine and dentistry proved unsuccessful.
Indeed, the new proposal formulated by the Ministry of Higher Education within the framework of this mediation has just been rejected Thursday by the medical and dental students. “The new proposal was submitted to a vote by students from all Faculties of medicine in Morocco in the evening of Wednesday and this operation did not end until late in the evening of Thursday. The vote took place nationally through unified ballots, under the supervision of student representatives from each Faculty. Three points were at stake: the proposal of the governmentthe back to university to come, as well as the prioritization of outstanding questions,” tells us a source within the National Commission for Medical and Dentistry Students.
In detail, we learn that 86% of the students who took part in the vote rejected the government offer, considering that it did not meet several of their demands, while 81.4% considered the government proposal “insufficient” and “failing to meet their expectations regarding outstanding items.” The students even say they have noticed several setbacks on points which had previously been the subject of a compromise. Regarding the resumption of classes, 86.9% of students voted in favor of continuing their protest movement and continuing the boycott of the formationin the absence of favorable responses to the demands, in particular that relating to the question of the start of the university year.
“We noted the absence of a clear vision regarding certain points, as well as the lack of dialogue with representatives of the Ministry of Health and Social Protectionwhich is a supervisory sector and an actor primarily concerned by this issue. In addition, the commission noted the imprecision and vagueness regarding the discussion of technical details related to training. The proposal also did not address certain advances that the two ministries and the government had previously expressed the desire to implement. However, these advances should contribute directly to improving the training conditions of tomorrow’s doctors,” laments the same source.
Students for greater involvement of the Ministry of Health
In a correspondence addressed to the Institution of the Kingdom Ombudsman, the National Commission for Medical and Dentistry Students requested the involvement of officials from the Ministry of Health and Social Protection in the dialogue, insisting on the fact that this department was a stakeholder called upon to play an essential role in the treatment of certain aspects of this file. She also pleaded for the extension of the mediation deadline initially planned, in order to allow an in-depth examination of the points of contention.
As a reminder, the Minister of Higher Education, Abdellatif Miraouirecently presented a new government proposal via the Kingdom’s mediator, with the aim of unblocking the crisis in the Faculties of Medicine. But according to the students, this initiative has not brought significant new developments, since the minister is steadfast in his position concerning the reduction of the duration of studies from seven to six years, with the addition of an optional year of internship.
Concerning the 66 students suspendedthe minister did not lift the sanctions, merely suggesting that their names could be mentioned in the minutes which would be signed with the Mediator Institution. Finally, the minister proposed the organization of a single examination session before the end of December. The positions of each therefore remain irreconcilable. The specter ofwhite year which is becoming increasingly clear, complicates the situation with the arrival of new students who have integrated their Faculties in an unhealthy climate. The future of medical education is on a knife edge.
The crisis of strikes in the Faculties of Medicine and Pharmacy broke out at the end of 2023 following the disagreement between the government and the students regarding the latter’s demands. These demands revolve roughly around the need to make significant improvements in theoretical and practical training conditions, the need for a third cycle reform which has been slow to be implemented since 2015 and the improvement of the ‘environment of the stages. The demands also concern the maintenance of the seventh year of exercise for all students registered since last year in the various Faculties and to carry out the reform of the normal cycle of studies from this back to universitywhile revising the training programs so that the volume of internships and training is integrated throughout the university course.
