French Schools Morocco: Missing Millions Spark Parent Revolt

It all started with an ambitious real estate plan unveiled in 2021 to modernize several aging sites in the Casablanca-Mohammedia area, including Anatole-France middle school and Ernest-Renan school. To finance this project initially valued at 16 million euros, households faced steep fee increases that allowed them to set aside nearly 15 million euros, according to Jeune Afrique. Yet five years have passed and groundbreaking remains elusive, while the overall bill now approaches 21 million. Faced with these phantom infrastructures, bitterness is palpable: "Children will graduate without ever benefiting from the facilities their parents paid for," protests one father.

On Bladi.net : French schools Morocco: Parents revolt over rising fees and stalled projects

Confronted with this "administrative inertia that has become unacceptable," three major associations representing 12,000 parents took a stand on May 18 through an open letter to AEFE leadership and relevant ministries. This frustration comes amid suffocating financial circumstances. With a school year commonly costing between 40,000 and 50,000 dirhams per child, and feared increases of 8 to 9% looming at the start of the new term, families denounce an abusive transfer of costs. The French state is gradually withdrawing, forcing parents to indirectly finance the pensions of seconded teachers or the overall cost of French-speaking influence.

The reasons for this stalemate frustrate as much as the bill. Mired in the complexities of French administration, funds lie dormant while establishments cannot launch operations. "We know nothing. Bercy and the Education Ministry pass the buck," complains one parent, pointing to an ultra-centralized system. Even though Casablanca revenues are excellent, surplus money is regularly reabsorbed by the global network. The trauma of broken past promises logically resurfaces: "In our memories, there’s also the Beaulieu case: they talked to us about a middle school, we ended up with a swimming pool," quips another witness.

On Bladi.net : French schools in Morocco: The revolt of parents spreads from Rabat and Casablanca to Fez

Facing this profound breach of trust, representatives demand an immediate moratorium on any new fee increases for the 2026-2027 school year, at least until construction actually begins. They also call for a transparent implementation schedule. Moroccan families, who have hitherto consented to enormous financial sacrifices to offer their children an excellent education, now doubt the very credibility of the institution managed by Paris. "Give us a direction, a horizon. Where is the money going?" concludes one parent, illustrating widespread exhaustion with administrative silence.