A group of students are planning legal action against Ibn Tofail University in Kenitra after its decision to raise the bar for admission to the English Studies major to 15/20 score in the baccalaureate.
The National Union of Students in Kenitra has launched a second strike starting from Sept. 25 until 30 “in defense of public universities and their open enrollment criteria.”
In a statement to MoroccoLatestNews English, Imane Radi, an activist in the national union of students said that “the university’s president is still adamant in his decision, and we have received no clarification from his part.”
Radi said that the students are steadfast in their resolve to sue the university. She added, “the lawsuit will include the university’s attempts, through its employees, to intimidate the students.”
The union estimates that around 1000 baccalaureate holders were rejected because they don’t meet the 15-grade requirement, and a portion of them were enrolled in other majors unbeknownst to them.
Mohcine, a student, said that the university’s decision was “irresponsible” and “haphazard.” He added “ we registered on the website with no obstacles only to be told by the university that we don’t meet the criteria for admission; We weren’t notified about this before.”
“In the prospect of not being admitted into university,” another student, wissal, said “ baccalaureate holders will have no other option but to work in the informal sector.”
Nadia Touhami, deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, brought the issue into the ministry of education by addressing a written question requesting clarification on the matter and the measures the ministry intends to take to rectify the students’ situation.
In the written question, of which MoroccoLatestNews English received a copy, Touhami said “the faculty at the aforementioned university has imposed high exclusionary grades and criteria for selecting students in the English department.”
In an interview with MoroccoLatestNews English, Touhami said that “ the ministry must have already known about the decision of the university, because the latter cannot take such a decision unilaterally.”
Touhami added that this decision is questionable since it turns an institution of open enrollment into one of limited access.
Addressing any potential justifications related to insufficient human resources, infrastructure limitations, or the university’s capacity to accommodate an unrestricted number of students, Touhami said that it falls within the ministry’s purview to ensure that all baccalaureate holders are admitted into university.
The Parliamentarian added that the university’s decision is incomprehensible since it’s the “ministry’s duty to provide the infrastructure, human resources, and financial means to accommodate students in universities of all kinds, rather than resorting to unequal methods that deprive students of registering in their chosen fields of study.”
So far, the rise in the admission bar has only affected the English Studies department in the university of Ibn Tofail.
Touhami explained that the education sector in Morocco is going through a phase of reform instigated by the current ministry, including the integration of the English language in middle school. The decision to raise the admission bar for English in university goes against the grain of this reform.
In response to the students’ and their families’ complaints, The National Union of Students in Morocco in Kenitra has launched a second strike starting from Sept. 25 until 30 “in defense of public universities and their open enrollment criteria.”
In a statement to MoroccoLatestNews English, Imane Radi, an activist in the national union of students said that “the university’s president is still adamant in his decision, and we have received no clarification from his part.”
Radi said that the students are steadfast in their resolve to sue the university. She added, “the lawsuit will include the university’s attempts, through its employees, to intimidate the students.”
The union estimates that around 1000 baccalaureate holders were rejected because they don’t meet the 15-grade requirement, and a portion of them were enrolled in other majors unbeknownst to them.
MoroccoLatestNews English has reached out to the Ministry of Education and the Regional Academy of Rabat – Sale – Kenitra, but has not received any response.