In Morocco, young people may be divided into students and dropouts but both share a common goal: To leave the country.

Earlier in September, Moroccan police intercepted 45,015 undocumented immigrants attempting to cross into Europe through Fnideq, a northern Moroccan city bordering the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.

Authorities were also quick to arrest around 152 people who were responsible for the TikTok campaign that incited Moroccan youth to join this mass migration attempt.

The would-be migrants were mostly Moroccans, along with people from sub-Saharan nations and other North African countries like Algeria and Tunisia.

While some did manage to slip past authorities and reach the Spanish enclave by boat, others tragically lost their lives in their attempt to swim the last few miles across the Mediterranean Sea.

Although the mass migration incident this September was not the first of its kind, and will likely not be the last, what makes it especially significant is the ongoing protests by young medical students in the country.

Now, what does the plight of a medical student have to do with youth lacking the same opportunities, who are likely not from the same economic backgrounds, and who may be considered by some as “more privileged” than those risking their lives at sea? 

If you ask a Moroccan young man or woman, regardless of their background, about their plans for the future, there is a strong chance that they will say that they want to leave the country. 

In fact, according to recent surveys, 70% of young Moroccans aged 18-29 have expressed the desire to emigrate for better economic opportunities, education, and career prospects.

Medical students or not, Moroccan youth have grown increasingly cynical over the past few years. Significant loss of life and economic setbacks were not the only ramifications of the pandemic in Morocco.

The country’s healthcare and education systems have always been described as somewhat fragile. With the pandemic, these two vital sectors have taken a heavy blow.

Morocco has long faced shortages of healthcare professionals, with only 7 doctors per 10,000 people, way below the World Health Organization’s recommendation of 23 doctors per 10,000. 

Rural areas in Morocco are also lacking access to adequate healthcare services, widening the gap of regional inequalities in health access. Despite ongoing efforts to improve the situation, the country still faces a shortage of around 32,000 doctors needed to meet healthcare demands.

The education system isn’t fairing any better. Before the pandemic, 66% of Moroccan 10-year-olds were unable to read and understand a simple text, which was 2.5% lower than the regional average for the MENA region, and 10.7% lower than other lower-middle-income countries​, according to the latest World Bank reports.

Pandemic lockdowns worsened these issues by causing “white years,” extended periods of school closures, during which many students lost valuable learning time.

As the lockdown lifted, teachers—especially those on temporary contracts without the benefits or job security of permanent staff—resumed their pre-COVID protests for better wages, job security, and reforms to the educational system.

Now, medical students have joined the wave of protests, demanding improved working conditions and sufficient resources for their training. 

Many of the protesting medical students, educated and trained in Morocco, feel overlooked in favor of Moroccan peers with foreign, often European, diplomas, who they believe have better career prospects.

The medical student protests, coinciding with recent arrests of migrants and reports of police violence in the same month, have triggered online and offline discussions about unequal access to opportunities and fueled a growing desire among young people, including protesters, to leave the country.

It’s no surprise that recent reports show around 70% of final-year medical students in Morocco choose to emigrate and build their careers abroad.

This ongoing brain drain, with around 6,000 skilled professionals, including doctors, engineers, and computer programmers leaving Morocco each year, directly contradicts the country’s efforts to retain its highly qualified workers and attract those who already moved abroad.

The government has attempted to incentivize doctors to stay by offering salary increases and even discussing attracting foreign doctors to work in Morocco. However, these efforts have yet to show any results.

From Funerals to Boats, a Story of Migration Ideation

If we were to simplify the issue, we could say that undocumented migration is illegal and end the discussion there.

Every country must do its best to prevent illegal migration for obvious reasons, amongst which is the necessity to maintain national security, manage resources, and ensure that immigration processes are fair and orderly.  

But why stop there and ignore the other factors that contribute to this phenomenon? Like the psychological makeup of those risking their lives for a better future, shaped by desperation, hopelessness, and sometimes, misinformation.

The desperation to migrate reflects deep-rooted challenges, including the current inflation and low wages combined with high living costs, which burn holes in the pockets and spirit of middle and low-income families.

Many young people are forced to abandon their education and start working from a young age to put enough food on the table.

These young people often end up working long hours for low pay to make ends meet, or they turn to drugs to cope with the overwhelming pressure, which only worsens their situation.

Despite the hardships, many cling to an idealized vision of life abroad. Whether or not their vision is clouded by misinformation, the allure of a better life and improved living conditions is what keeps their hopes alive, even at the cost of their own lives.

This dream of escaping from a harsh present to a better future—or perhaps from one harsh reality to another—has divided public opinion. 

Some sympathize with these youths, arguing that the country’s failure to provide decent living conditions pushes them to seek opportunities elsewhere. 

Others, however, condemn illegal migration, insisting that this illusion of a better life only leads to more hardship and that there are opportunities in Morocco for those willing to work hard.

One particular story shared online, regardless of whether it’s a real anecdote or a fabric of a future migrant’s imagination, encapsulates just how desperate these youths are.

It’s a story of a group of boys on their way to secretly cross the northern borders to Ceuta. Along their journey, they come across a funeral for a migrant who drowned at sea. 

The boys solemnly follow the funeral, participate in the burial rites, and offer condolences to the deceased migrant’s grieving family. 

After paying their respects, they resume their journey to Ceuta.

While this story may seem like just another instance of dark humor on the internet, the fact that many engaged with it and applauded the migrants’ decision serves as a reminder of the urgent need for action.

This means reforms across all sectors, starting with education to better match job market demands, improving employment opportunities, and providing support services like job training, mental health counseling, and financial assistance within the country’s means. 

Campaigns should also be launched to reduce the dangerous pull of illegal migration to prevent the younger generation from following in the footsteps of those before them.