Kenitra: School put up for sale “with its students” provokes indignation

A real estate listing for the sale of a private school in Kenitra, Morocco, has sparked controversy due to its offensive wording. The listing mentioned the sale of the school “with its students,” prompting accusations of child commodification on social media. The real estate agent responsible for the listing has since apologized, citing a drafting error.

The ad, published online, stated that the school, located on a 412 m² plot of land, had 373 students and generated a monthly net income of 12 million centimes. The sale price was set at 640 million centimes. However, it was the ambiguous expression “with its students” that provoked a wave of indignation, with some Internet users going so far as to accuse the author of the ad of illegal trade.

Real estate agent Mohamed Saddiki quickly responded to the criticism, explaining that the mention of students in the advert was a mistake. According to him, the aim was to specify the school’s capacity and not to include students in the transaction. Faced with the scale of the controversy, he decided to withdraw the advert.

Social media was flooded with sarcastic and outraged comments. One influential blogger, Khaled Zahri, quipped: “A school for sale with its students, tomorrow we will see our children sold to the highest bidder.” Others stressed that the sale of private schools, although common, should never include such terms.

Despite Saddiki’s explanations, the incident has rekindled the debate on the management and regulation of private schools in Morocco. Some experts believe that this episode highlights the need for stricter supervision of the sector, particularly with regard to the transparency of transactions and the protection of students’ rights.

This event also serves as a reminder of the importance of precision in communication, particularly in sectors as sensitive as education, where a simple error in wording can have significant consequences.

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