Parents of 16 students expelled from a private school in Ifrane affiliated with Al Akhawayn University say the decision is arbitrary, linking it to their involvement in the parents' association and complaints about school management. The controversy has drawn political attention, with former Justice Minister Mustapha Ramid voicing solidarity and a PPS MP calling on the Education Minister to explain the circumstances and measures to resolve the case. Parents of 16 students at a private school in Ifrane, affiliated with Al Akhawayn University, are protesting what they describe as the arbitrary and unjustified expulsion of their children. In a widely shared video, the parents allege that the expulsions were motivated by their membership in the parents' association or by their complaints about school management, specifically against the school's director, a French-American citizen with an alleged U.S. Marines background. The parents insist they only demanded basic needs: qualified teachers with proper certifications, recognition of the school's diplomas, and academic stability. Instead, they say, they faced intimidation and the expulsion of their children without legal grounds, despite paying all fees and complying with the school's regulations. With the school year already underway, the families stress that their children remain without schooling. They cannot return to the institution nor transfer to other schools, given the «specific status of the former one», one parent argued. One mother explained that when she contacted the American School of Marrakech to seek admission for her son, a high school senior, she was told he could not be enrolled, or if accepted, he would have to repeat two grades below his current level. Parents add that they have exhausted all avenues for dialogue with the school administration. One of the protesting mothers said that they are being «denied entry to the school grounds to collect [their] children's certificates and records». The parents said they have since turned to the Ministry of Education and the courts. The expulsion reaches parliament The controversy has sparked growing attention on social media and beyond. On Friday, former Justice Minister Mustapha Ramid voiced his support on Facebook, declaring his «full solidarity with the sixteen students expelled by the American 'Marine' from a school affiliated with Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane». He stressed: «It is the duty of the Ministry of National Education to urgently send a committee to investigate the matter and to enforce respect for children's right to schooling and education». «Whatever the situation of the parents, children must not be punished for what may be attributed to their parents, rightly or wrongly», he added. The case has also reached Parliament. Ahmed El Abbadi, MP for the Progress and Socialism Group (PPS) in the House of Representatives, addressed a written question to the Minister of National Education, Preschool, and Sports regarding the circumstances and context of the expulsions. «This decision, which the families consider arbitrary and authoritarian, has sparked angry and critical reactions», the MP wrote. He asked the Minister to clarify the circumstances and details of the case, as well as the «measures the government intends to take to resolve the matter».
