Ahmed Ouzrouti – HIBAPRESS
Youssef Ben Tachfine High School in Agadir witnessed five stages of summer camping during the months of July and August of last summer, organized by the Regional Directorate of Youth of the Souss-Massa region, as part of the summer vacation program targeting children and young people from various associations.
However, the camping atmosphere, which is supposed to enshrine the values of education, hygiene, and responsibility, turned – according to what the institution's administration witnessed – into chaos and damage to the high school's facilities, after serious damage was recorded that affected the common spaces, classrooms, and dormitories. Sources from within the institution confirmed that "the sanctity of the center was not respected by some of the beneficiary associations," as many cases of neglect and widespread waste were recorded, plastic bottles filled with urine, dirty mattresses and covers, and chairs and study tables thrown in the squares, in a scene that one of the frameworks described as unfortunate and offensive to the educational camping message. The same sources added that before the end of the five camping periods, an attempt was made to open a dialogue with the director of the camping center about the situation, but the latter refused to communicate and did not show any willingness to cooperate. After the end of the camps, the Regional Director of Youth in Souss-Massa intervened and invited the institution's staff to coordinate in order to restore things to their normal order, promising to repair and compensate for the recorded damages, but according to identical testimonies, he did not fulfill his promise, contenting himself with saying "I have nothing to do with education," while celebrating on social media what he described as "the success of the summer camps in the region." Field photos taken after the end of the camping periods clearly show the extent of the chaos and damage that affected the institution, which aroused the resentment of the educational and administrative staff, and prompted many to demand the intervention of the authorities in charge of the education and youth sectors to ensure respect for the sanctity of educational institutions when used as camping centers, and to define responsibilities in such cases.
