Protests at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy in Rabat, January 2024.
Rabat – Morocco’s House of Representatives cut its plenary session short on Monday after around half an hour following a heated debate over the ongoing crisis involving medical and pharmacy students, SNRT News reported.
The decision to pause proceedings came after the government informed the parliament it was not ready to address the students’ concerns, prompting strong reactions from both majority and opposition parties who demanded immediate and serious engagement to resolve the issue.
As the session began, Mohammed Sbari, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives who presided over the meeting, announced that the House had received a response from the government regarding the medical and pharmacy students’ issue. The government was not ready to engage with the requests presented on this matter, Sbari said.
This response sparked a heated debate in parliament. Idris Sentissi, leader of the Haraki opposition group, emphasized the need for the government to seriously and promptly address what he described as the tension in medical and pharmacy faculties.
Meanwhile, Rachid Hamouni, head of the Progressive and Socialist opposition group, condemned the government’s lack of engagement with the parliamentary request to discuss the crisis, interpreting it as a disregard for both parliament and the concerned students and their families.
The Moroccan medical student crisis dates back to 2022 when the government decided to shorten the duration of medical studies from seven to six years. The decision was met with widespread disapproval among students, who feared that the quality of their education and training would be compromised.
Since then, students have organized a series of small-scale protests and demonstrations. After nearly two years of waiting for a resolution, the situation escalated and reached a tipping point on December 16, 2023, when medical students voted overwhelmingly to enter into an open boycott for both training and exams.
Also speaking at the parliamentary session today, Abderrahim Chahid, leader of the Socialist group (opposition), criticized the ministry’s failure to provide clarifications before the parliament, describing the move as absurd. He expressed concern for the families of the students, who are on the brink of an academic year without progress. Chahid lamented that instead of answers, these families are met with silence.
Abdellah Bouanou, leader of the Justice and Development Party’s parliamentary group, echoed these sentiments, accusing the government of undermining several parliamentary initiatives aimed at mediating the issue over recent months.
From the majority side, Omar Hejira, leader of the Independence Group, called for the parliamentary session to be postponed to allow for consultations and to understand the government’s lack of response to parliamentary inquiries.
The Authenticity and Modernity group supported this stance, while the National Rally of Independents group also called for the session to be suspended. They cited a need for consultations and clarification on the absence of relevant government sectors in the discussion
