On the basis of a communication from the Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, and following the recommendation of the Institution of the Mediator of the Kingdom, the Ministry of Justice decided to organize, on July 9, a new examination for the obtaining the certificate of eligibility to practice the profession of lawyer. This decision was favorably received by the National Coordination of candidates who failed during the test of December 4, 2022.
These same candidates fought a long and arduous battle. A controversy and scandal erupted in December 2022, when some candidates made accusations of “offenses” , of ” cheating ” and of ” nepotism ” having tainted this examination. After a lot of information spread on social networks, which suggested that there were indeed anomalies in this written exam, the candidates organized themselves in coordination and undertook a series of demonstrations, including a hunger strike and a sit-down. -in in Rabat, in order to make their voices heard.
After numerous negotiations and discussions between the unsuccessful candidates and the Ministry of Justice, which ultimately came to nothing, the Institution of the Kingdom’s Mediator intervened to resolve this crisis. In this sense, the Mediator issued a ” special report to the head of government, Aziz Akhannouch, including a series of recommendations, including the organization of a new examination meeting the same criteria as those of the session of December 4, 2022.
Following this, the ministry of Abdellatif Ouahbi decided, on the basis of a communication from the Chief Executive and the recommendation of the mediator of the Kingdom, to organize the examination on July 9 in the centers of Rabat, Casablanca, El Jadida, Fez, Marrakech, Safi, Meknes, Agadir, Laayoune, Tangier, Tetouan, Settat, Beni Mellal, Oujda, Nador, Kenitra, Taza, Ouarzazate, Errachidia, Khouribga, Al-Hoceima and other centers as needed .
The Ministry of Justice has clarified that the bar exam will take place in two written parts, in the form of multiple-choice questions, as well as an oral test.
Rahima Braj, unsuccessful candidate for the December 4 exam and member of the Coordination of failed candidates, was contacted by MoroccoLatestNews UK on this subject. She sees this announcement as a relief for candidates who have been impacted by the exam on December 4, 2022, after a long period of struggle and protest.
” Thanks to the intervention of the Institution of the Mediator of the Kingdom, we will have the opportunity to pass a new examination. We have never lost confidence in our state institutions, otherwise we would never have submitted our request to the Mediator of the Kingdom after the conflict we had with the Ministry of Justice, which is also an institution of the State. This announcement confirms our confidence. We also thank all the parties involved in this file and we hope that this examination will not take place like the previous one.“said our interlocutor.
In addition, this failed candidate expressed the wish that this new examination offer the necessary guarantees, such as those appearing in their claims file, in particular the establishment of an electronic platform, the use of a recognized correction model and approved and removal of the -1 condition for any incorrect answer. ” This is a Canadian system that is not applied to all exams“, she argued.
Asked about the situation of candidates who failed throughout these six months of struggle, Rahima told us that as a master’s student and mother, she put in a lot of physical and mental effort.
” I was exhausted and still am. I noticed a drop in level in my studies, because our fight required a lot of time and energy. It was not an easy time. Our end goal was simply to achieve a fair solution for all candidates who failed the exam. But after the intervention of the Mediator of the Kingdom, the press release from the presidency of the government and the announcement from the Ministry of Justice, we hope that the pressure will ease for the candidates.” , did she say.
To add: ” We will savor this victory once the examination has taken place in very good conditions, with the implementation of the guarantees mentioned“.
In the event that candidates fail again in this new exam, will we see the same scenario for the December 2022 session? In response to this question, our interlocutor emphasizes that there is ” a big difference between failing the exam and intentionally failing “.
“If the exam takes place in a climate of transparency and in conditions of integrity, we cannot go out and make a scandal, because that would mean that we would not have worked hard enough to pass it. I hope that we will not have to relive the same situation as in December 2022 and that we will not encounter the same flaws observed during this session. With the intervention of the Mediator of the Kingdom, I think that this examination will meet our expectations and that the guarantees requested will be there. And we hope that success will be there for all“, she added.
Finally, Rahima mentioned the one-month delay that separates them from the next exam. She considered this delay insufficient given the problems they have encountered over the past six months and their morale, which is at an all-time low.
” But that’s not a problem. Despite the fatigue, the candidates are ready and eagerly awaiting its organization“, she concluded.