Moroccan Parents Clash with French Schools over E-Learning Fees and Enrollment Policies

Faced with this situation, the parents reject the summons from the establishments regarding the non-re-enrollment of children in case of non-payment. All this is not to the liking of the parents who thus denounce "unacceptable intimidations". At the Service for Cooperation and Cultural Action (SCAC) in charge of the sector, we calm the game and propose solutions.

In an interview with the newspaper l’Économiste, Clélia Chevrier Kolacko, advisor for cooperation and cultural action at the SCAC, declares that the service is ready to support families in difficulty, but the others must pay the fees due in order not to put the establishments in difficulty. To the question of the newspaper relating to the pressure on parents in difficulty who denounce "direct threats" of exclusion of students in the event of non-payment of fees, Clélia Chevrier Kolacko affirms that all families in difficulty to pay the tuition fees of the 3rd quarter must file a file with the management of the establishments in order to be able to benefit from payment deferrals. Also, she says that families who choose not to use the exemption commissions must legitimately pay the full registration fees for the 3rd quarter.

As for those who have not yet paid the 3rd quarter fees, she says that the examination of the requests for exemption is still ongoing. According to her, we will have to wait until mid-June to be informed. If some demand a renegotiation of the fees, she declares that: "The primary responsibility of the schools in the French network was to respond to the urgency of the situation, to avoid dropping out of their students and to guarantee the achievement of the educational objectives of the 3rd quarter." On the issue of distance learning, Clélia Chevrier Kolacko calls for significant efforts from parents, teachers, children..., because the classroom must be reinvented in virtual mode, to bring the school into the home and the home into the school.

Moreover, according to her, the teachers must be equipped, thousands of profiles must be enrolled in each virtual class. Technical difficulties must also be resolved. She urges parents to get involved alongside their children. Regarding the annual increases planned for the 2020-21 school year, she states that they will be reduced to take into account the economic crisis, while ensuring the financial balance of the different schools.

Regarding the aid promised by the French government, Clélia Chevrier Kolacko, declares that the authorities of her country are committed to safeguarding the French school network in the world and to helping the most disadvantaged families. She announces their financial efforts. This involves 50 million euros for school scholarships and 100 million euros for establishments that grant payment deferrals to families in difficulty of all nationalities.