Morocco: Jasour – News Desk
There is currently much discussion among associations working to support the education of individuals with special needs about a reduction in the amount of support allocated for the 2024/2025 school year. This comes after the stage of submitting and processing applications by the responsible departments, as is customary annually.
Some of these associations are now talking about a decrease in the amounts allocated to them, which fall under the Social Cohesion Fund. There had been doubts about the fund’s continued support for the education of individuals with special needs, especially after speculations about its integration into the social protection system. However, the Ministry of Solidarity, Social Integration, and Family, under the leadership of Aouatif Hayar, clarified by designating the current school year as a “transitional year.”
The associations argue that reducing the allocated support for the current school year will have a negative and direct impact on the salaries of those working in this system, who already receive low wages that need to be increased rather than decreased due to the reduced annual support approved for each association working in the field of special needs education.
In this context, Mounir Maisour, President of the National Federation of Social Workers, stated, “We have received complaints from some associations that their approved support for this year is less than what they received last year, which complicates their efforts to assist individuals with special needs. This adds to the existing challenges facing these associations and their workers.”
Maisour added in a press statement, “As a national federation, we are continuing to gather information to verify whether the reduction in support is comprehensive or selective. Some associations have reported a decrease of approximately 1.2 million Moroccan Dirhams in their allocated support for this school year, which will result in reduced salaries for social workers.”
“These workers already earn low monthly wages, and adjusting them again with the decreased support will only worsen the situation,” he said, adding, “If the budget for the supporting associations remains the same as last year, the support should be the same value.”
Maisour also highlighted another issue concerning the fate of these workers at the end of the current school year, as we remain in a transitional phase after extending the Social Cohesion Fund’s support for another year.
On the other hand, a source from the National Observatory for Inclusive Education downplayed the impact of this issue but did not deny the reduction in support for associations, revealing that “there is indeed a clear reduction in this regard, sometimes reaching up to 10 percent, which is significant in the end.” The source confirmed that “continuing the project in its current form is better than nothing, as we fought for its continuation after there were intentions to cancel it and merge it into the social protection system. It requires patience and endurance from all active parties, including social workers,” adding, “We hope the project continues as it is at least during the current government term.”
The source also stated, “Associations need to understand that the support amount is linked to a scoring system. Usually, the requested amount is not granted to the requesting association. The annual support is determined based on the number of staff at each institution, the number of students, and the percentage of females among them. Everyone in this chain is understandable, and continuing the project is better than not. We fought to continue this experience with its challenges.”
