Much has been said about the assaults and barbaric treatments that boycotting teacher trainees were subjected to by Moroccan police officers and members of auxiliary forces. We saw pictures and videos that document these crimes; and articles that condemn, with the strongest terms possible, those violations of human rights. I, myself, wrote an article, denouncing the barbaric attacks and called for the effective conducting of investigations to arrest those responsible for such atrocities, especially the one conducted in Inzgane. However, we rarely hear of the sufferings of non-boycotting teacher trainees. In fact, teacher trainees are all considered to be boycotting since mainstream Moroccan media only depicts the sufferings and views of the majority, while the minority, who are non-boycotters, have been oppressed and neither their voices nor their anguish are given their due attention by the media.
To give readers a clear idea about the issue of Moroccan teacher trainees, let me tell you that in July 2015, few days before the entrance exams, allowing into training centers, were held, the government approved and announced two ministerial decrees in a seminar. The first decree stipulates the halving of the scholarship allocated to teacher trainees from 2450 DH to 1200 DH. The second decree states that teacher trainees wouldn’t be officially hired after finishing their one-year-long training. Instead, they will have to sit for a recruitment exam, and only 7000 teacher trainees out of the 10000, who have been trained, will be recruited, while the remaining 3000 teacher trainees will be granted a state-accredited diploma; testifying to their abilities at teaching.
Moroccan teacher trainees started boycotting their courses few months ago in attempt to coerce the ministry of education (government) into cancelling the two decrees, which were previously approved and announced to teacher trainees. The two decrees are, according to the rhetoric of boycotting teacher trainees, a means by which the government is trying to deprive them of their right to occupy public positions. Also, boycotting teacher trainees posit that the government is paving the way for the privatization of Education in Morocco through the said decrees.
On the other hand, non-boycotting teacher trainees, who sadly only comprise the minority, argue that the decree will ensure that only competent teachers are recruited. Based on their personal convictions, they decided to continue attending their training courses, even if the majority does not. Unfortunately, the decision of the minority, non-boycotting teacher trainees, was not accepted or respected by the majority, boycotting teacher trainees. As soon as non-boycotting teacher trainees joined their classes, some boycotting teacher trainees rained them with insults and threats for the simple fact that they have came to a decision that is different from that of the majority.
I, as a proud non-boycotting teacher trainee, was subjected to insults and threats immediately after I joined the class, along with two of my colleagues. We were called “traitors”, “agents of the government”, “members of the PJD,” including various other labels, which I can’t remember. Boycotting teacher trainees continually blockaded us inside the classroom, opened the windows, shouted loudly and uttered offensive declarations. This was all done in attempt to prevent us from studying normally and because we disagreed with them. Other non-boycotting teacher trainees from across the kingdom were subjected to the same mistreatments I received. These violations of our rights are documented in videos and pictures. The video below featured below is a representative of what I have been telling.
Writing this article was not an easy thing to do because I know for sure that I will be harassed as, I, once again, expressed a narration that opposes that of the majority and because I exposed blatant facts which are for the mainstream hidden. However, just as I formerly stood against what was unjust and called for its end; I now do the same. For those who mistreated and insulted me, I forgive you.
