Morocco’s medical students nationwide, following weeks of protests, boycotted final exams. Hamza Qirman, a member of the commission nationale des étudiants en médecine au Maroc, reaffirmed that the decision was taken fully by the students themselves.
“We did not commit any student to boycott exams, everyone made their decision with consciousness and conviction,” Qirman said, reaffirming that it happened at a 100% rate.
In a phone interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Qirman explained that the total boycott was in response to statement issued by the health and education ministries in which the commission was accused of failing to rely ministerial messaging adequately to students.
The official further re-iterated that medical students are only using the boycott as a mean to achieve their warranted demands, and that it is now up to the ministry to decide whether to fail everyone or not.
Qirman also called on concerned government bodies to show “seriousness and stop procrastinating the finding of a solution.”
He stressed the importance of the health and education ministries responding to students demands through “direct negotiations and clear responsiveness to proposals put forth.”
Speaking on student demands, Qirman said they were delivered to authorities, but have failed to find a response yet.
In parallel, Moroccan nurses and health workers kick-started a five-day strike to protest against the government's failure to comply with their demands as well.
The sit-in will take place in front of the health ministry building on Wednesday. A national march in Rabat will be held on the following day.
