Moroccan trainee teachers protest over grant cuts
Rabat, January 25, AZERTAC
Thousands of trainee teachers took to the streets of Morocco's capital on Sunday in protest at government decrees that would cut grants and affect their job prospects, according to AFP.
Representatives of the five major trade unions and youth activists joined the protesters who gathered in central Rabat before marching towards the education ministry and parliament, an AFP reporter said.
In July, the government adopted a decree more than halving the monthly grant for trainee teachers from around 2,454 dirhams (228 euros) to 1,200 dirhams.
A second decree stipulated that teacher trainees would no longer automatically qualify for an education ministry job once their training ends but would need first to sit an exam.
The decrees have sparked a wave of protests since October with trainee teachers -- who number 10,000 nationwide -- boycotting lectures and demanding that the government reverse its decisions.
The minimum monthly wage in Morocco's public sector is just 280 euros, according to official figures, while the World Bank says unemployment affects 30 percent of young people.
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