Controversy Erupts as Public Art Institute in Essaouira Transferred to French School

The transfer of the Hassania 2 Institute of Artistic and Literary Opening (formerly called the Auguste Beaumier school) to the Eric Tabarly school group is not to the liking of the seven teachers’ unions in the province of Essaouira, who held a sit-in on Friday in the city, reports Le Desk. In a statement, the UNTM, UGTM, CDT, FNE, ODT, UMT and FDT denounce "an obvious conspiracy whose purpose is to deprive the children of the people of their public institutions."

According to explanations from a local union source, the transfer of the institute was decided "in the last moments of the term of Saaid Amzazi (Minister of National Education) within the outgoing government." For the union activists of Essaouira, this operation is "a disaster for the young people of the city. "Neither the pedagogical management nor the teachers know their fate from now on," says Abdeljalil Labrini, provincial secretary of the National Union of Education affiliated with the Democratic Labor Federation (FDT).

"The documents we have consulted mention a project to raze the establishment, whose area is between 5,000 and 6,000 m2," he laments. Created in the 19th century, the Institute is considered "an architectural heritage of the city," he adds. Last season, the school welcomed nearly 1,000 students, despite the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the FDT education union says in a statement.

For her part, Marie-Christine Marcelino, director of the Eric-Tabarly school group, confirmed the transfer of the institute through a message on the group’s website, announcing the "relocation" of the establishment for the 2021-2022 school year.