Ei-iE

Education International congratulates the Syndicat national de l'enseignement supérieur (SNESUP) for reaching a landmark agreement with the Moroccan government, approving amendments that make the status of research teachers more attractive and increase their salaries.

The work of the joint technical committee, consisting of the Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, Abdellatif Miraoui, the Minister Delegate to the Minister of Economy and Finance in charge of the Budget, Fouzi Lekjaa, and the SNESUP has borne fruit. An agreement was signed on 20 October in the presence of the Prime Minister, Aziz Akhannouch.

Making the profession of research teacher more attractive

Jamal Eddine Sebbani, General Secretary of SNESUP, said that the Moroccan government has approved some amendments to the status of research teachers proposed by the union. These include the introduction of a new entry point to the teaching-research profession and taking into account professional experience prior to joining the civil service. The aim is to make the role more attractive and allow for career development.

At the meeting of the joint technical committee on 8 October, Sebbani noted that it helped them make progress in the negotiations towards finalising the draft of the new status for teacher-researchers: “We had several positive signs from the government, which has shown its willingness to reform the system. The aim of this review, which the union asked for, is to make the profession more attractive by upgrading the salaries of teacher-researchers, to attract the best skills. We need to put in place a status that is attractive for young doctoral students as well as for teachers with 10 years or more of experience in scientific research, whether they are based in Morocco or abroad.”

For the SNESUP General Secretary, it was important that the reform of the teacher-researcher status also set out a plan for professional promotion and advancement. Instead of rapidly stagnating, the new framework thus includes career development to motivate teacher-researchers to invest more in scientific research and to contribute to improving the quality of higher education.

The issue of the system of access to higher education and the failure to take into account experience prior to taking up a post were also among the main grievances of research teachers. “This problem, in addition to the age limit for access to the profession, prevents Moroccan universities from taking advantage of experienced candidates and from attracting skilled Moroccan workers living abroad,” Sebbani stressed.

Pay review

Furthermore, the pay review was one of the main points addressed by the committee chaired by Fouzi Lekjaa. In Sebbani’s view, the reform required a revision of the laws governing the profession, and in particular an increase in salaries, a demand long defended by the unions in the higher education sector.

The government approved an increase of 3,000 dirhams (280 euros) in the salaries of research teachers.

Sebbani said that the increase will concern all three grades, namely temporary teachers, lecturers and professors of higher education. It will be applied gradually in three tranches from 1 January 2023, and will be spread over 2024 and 2025.