French Schools in Morocco Face Tuition Dispute Amid COVID-19 Crisis

"I lost my job; I no longer have a salary. My husband, who has just started his SME, is already on the verge of bankruptcy. We don’t have enough to pay the 51,000 dirhams (4,700 euros) in tuition fees for the third quarter for our three children," confides Kenza, a 42-year-old mother living in Casablanca, to the newspaper Le Monde. Like her, there are many parents of students who have repeatedly asked, since May 20, the date of the entry into force of the state of health emergency and confinement, for a reduction in third quarter tuition fees, which vary from one establishment to another.

These fees have also increased for families who had to maintain homeschooling. "Distance learning represents a huge cost. We had to buy computers and a printer, install fiber optic to overcome connection problems," explains Kenza. "And even if efforts have been made, the educational continuity remains insufficient."

"They have built all their development on the tuition fees paid by Moroccans. And now they threaten to kick our children out if we don’t pay!" fumes Mounir Lazrak, father of two children enrolled at the French high school Louis-Massignon in Casablanca, also a member of the Collective of Independent Parents of Establishments of the International School and University Office (OSUI), created at the beginning of the confinement.

Faced with the impact of the health crisis, "we have granted a delay of almost two months to families for the payment of the third quarter," says Catherine Bellus, coordinator of OSUI in Morocco. "We have also set up a financial aid system for the most vulnerable families. But, out of respect for privacy, we have chosen to remain discreet on this subject." Measures that are far from satisfying the parents of students.