Morocco’s Private School Fee Hikes Spark Parental Outrage and Political Concern

The new increase in tuition fees ranges from 300 to 500 dirhams. Some private school officials justify this measure by the increase in operating, maintenance and curriculum update costs. According to them, this new increase in tuition fees is necessary to ensure the continuity of high-quality educational services.

This measure is not well received by parents who are already suffering from the high cost of living. Many Moroccan families have expressed their deep discontent. Also concerned about this issue, PPS deputy Loubna Sghiri addressed a question to the Minister of National Education, Chakib Benmoussa. Many Moroccan families who often resort under pressure to private educational institutions have noticed a "dizzying, often illogical and totally unjustified increase in monthly tuition fees," she points out.

The schooling of the children of these families in private educational institutions has, notes the elected representative, become "a major concern that troubles many of them at each school start, when they are informed of new increases in monthly fees and registration fees, to allow their children to continue their studies in these establishments." The PPS deputy is outraged: "the strangest thing, as confirmed by many parents, is that most of the private institutions that have increased the monthly fees have not made any improvements in the level of infrastructure and equipment of these establishments, nor in the educational and didactic field, nor in the teaching methods, nor in the educational and administrative staff working there."

Faced with this situation, Loubna Sghiria called on the government of Aziz Akhannouch to act to prevent the "commercialization" of certain private schools, after their resort to increasing monthly fees. She asked the minister "the measures and initiatives" he is taking "to prevent the commercialization of the educational service, protect Moroccan families from the greed of certain private institutions, monitor the pedagogical modes and evaluation methods actually and practically applied by the latter, and set ceilings for the fees and financial charges they impose on families."