Teachers to stage march of protest

Moroccan teachers, affiliated to three major Unions, said Thursday they will stage a march of protest against the government's failure to heed their claims for higher salaries and better working conditions. The teachers' Unions (CDT, UMT and UGTM) said the march is meant to press the government live up to the commitments it already made in a protocol of accord signed with the Union in 2000.

The teachers, who had staged strikes last November and December, said they opted for a march instead of a strike this time because the meeting they had with the minister of education showed that "the government was carefully studying the grievances," and because they are aware of the importance of preserving the students' interests.

Some 215,500 Moroccans work in the sector of public education 121,763 of whom in primary, 84,024 in secondary and 9,701 in higher education.