Moroccan police disperse protesting teachers with water cannons

Police in Morocco used water canons to disperse protesting teachers on Wednesday night.

Thousands of contract teachers camped out infront of parliament in the centre of Rabat over their employment terms.

“ We condemn this brutal intervention towards teachers who wanted to organize a peaceful demonstration outside the parliament. We were confronted by a brutal intervention by the police. You see in your camera how the security forces repress us “, a contract teacher, Mustapha Bouché said.

The public sector teachers who wore mostly white coats, came from several cities across the country.

Reports say a meeting with the education ministry to resolve the issue on Tuesday was cancelled.

The temporary teachers launched a strike last month to press their demands for permanent employments that would improve their rights and other benefits, including retirement.

Over 55,000 teachers were recruited on fixed-term contracts since 2016.

The teachers enjoy the same salaries of 5,000 dirhams or $ 520 per month as their permanent colleagues.

But these temporary teachers have no access to a pension fund and other benefits.

AFP