HIBAPRESS – Berchid
The "Maghreb Al Arabi" High School in the city of Had Soualem is experiencing unprecedented overcrowding, with the number of students in some classes exceeding 56 students, amidst a severe shortage of educational administrative staff. This has prompted the institution's staff to threaten to take escalating protest actions.
According to data provided by educational sources at the institution, the high school includes more than 2168 male and female students distributed across 46 classes, with an average of more than 50 students per classroom. The number rises in some scientific and literary specializations to more than 56 students per class.
The situation is further complicated, according to the same sources, by the continued reception of registration and transfer requests from new arrivals to the city, which is witnessing continuous urban expansion and population growth. This increases the pressure on the only institution in the region that receives students for preparatory secondary education.
The institution's administration, on the other hand, faces a shortage of educational administrative staff, with only one general supervisor to monitor the affairs of more than two thousand students. This situation, according to the educational staff, hinders the management of attendance, discipline, and guidance within the institution.
This comes in a context that has previously seen warning protests organized by educational staff, in protest against overcrowding and administrative shortages, amidst demands for urgent solutions to alleviate the pressure on the high school.
The educational staff points out that the stalled construction work of "Al Hassan Al Awal" and "Allal Ben Abdellah" high schools has contributed to the continued pressure on the institution. They demand the acceleration of the completion of these two institutions, as well as the planning of a third preparatory high school to keep pace with the population growth in Had Soualem.
An educational stakeholder at the institution, who preferred to remain anonymous, said that continuing studies in classes with more than 56 students, along with having only one general supervisor, raises issues related to teaching conditions, guidance, and safety within the institution.
The educational staff has called for the intervention of responsible authorities, foremost among them the Regional Directorate of the National Education Ministry in Berchid and the supervising ministry, to address the situation of overcrowding and administrative shortage. They warn of the continuation of the current situation.
The educational workforce at the institution, supported by union offices, has threatened to engage in more escalating forms of protest if their demands are not met, including the acceleration of the completion of the stalled two high schools, the planning of a new preparatory institution, and the reinforcement of the administrative staff with additional general supervisors.
