GenZ 212 – When Morocco’s Youth Take Hold of Their Future

Morocco’s youth had remained relatively quiet since the uprisings of the Arab Spring, which once ignited a spark of defiance in university circles. In recent months, however, the streets of Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, and Meknès have rumbled with the anger of a generation unwilling to stay silent. As recently as mid-December, young people were taking to the streets. The GenZ 212 movement — a blend of “Generation Z” and the country’s dialing code — reflects the frustration of an educated, digitally savvy youth, all too aware of a system struggling to renew itself.

In terms of health, concerns linked to a health scandal (the deaths this summer of eight women at the Agadir regional hospital after giving birth by caesarean section) revealed the flaws in a system where the private sector still enjoys disproportionate advantages. It also extended to education, where underfunded public schools lag far behind the aspirations of students hungry for modernity. These seemingly basic demands have nonetheless triggered a wave of repression, leading to more than a thousand arrests. The protests nevertheless triggered a wave of repression, resulting in more than a thousand arrests: nearly 1,500 young people are still in detention and some 950 are on provisional release, awaiting trial, according to the daily newspaper Le Monde.

Adding to the bitter irony is the contrast between these neglected sectors and the colossal budgets allocated to infrastructure for the 2025–2026 Africa Cup of Nations and, above all, the 2030 FIFA World Cup — co-hosted with Spain and Portugal. The means, clearly, are not lacking: Morocco has poured nearly €2 billion into sports facilities for these two events. Other emblematic projects of international outreach — such as the new terminal at Casablanca Airport, scheduled to open in 2029 at a cost of €1.5 billion, or the national port strategy aimed at establishing an energy import corridor with sub-Saharan Africa following the ancient caravan route by 2030, valued at €7 billion — only deepen the contrast.

Yet, the demands of GenZ 212 seem to resonate only faintly with the country’s affluent youth — those who, once they secure their French baccalaureate, set their sights on Paris, Lausanne, Oxford, or beyond. For these are, above all, the demands of those who will stay.

Since the days of the Protectorate, Morocco’s elite French schools — notably Lycée Lyautey in Casablanca, the largest French secondary school outside France with 7,000 students, and Lycée Descartes in Rabat — have been shaping a francophone elite destined for higher education in Europe’s top universities. In 2022–2023, more than 45,000 Moroccan students were enrolled in French higher education, compared to 43,000 the following year. Yet France’s former allure is beginning to fade, giving way to destinations such as Switzerland, Belgium, and Canada, which now welcomes over 10,000 Moroccan students annually, including 7,000 outside Quebec.

The appeal of English-speaking countries and regions is thus also growing among this privileged youth. The growing proficiency in English, coupled with its introduction into the secondary school curriculum and the expansion of English-language math programs in top schools, has made these students increasingly competitive in global labor markets.

Still, obtaining U.S. visas in the current Trump-era administration remains uncertain. Lina, daughter of the prominent CEO of a major national group and a final-year student at Lycée Lyautey, explains: “Because of my grades, I was selected for a summer internship at Harvard but didn’t receive my visa in time. It was disappointing, but we’ve learned to deal with these delays. Now, as I finish my final year, I’m waiting for responses from universities in Switzerland and England, and I’ve just been admitted to the University of Montreal. I’m still hesitating, though — if I’m admitted in the UK, that’s where I’ll go.”

A generation for whom the world seems wide open — yet which remains aware of the country’s struggles.

Morocco’s expanding economic ties and free-trade agreements with Asian nations have sparked growing interest among students and young professionals. Malaysia, with its English-based education system and no visa requirement for Moroccans, has become a rising destination for those pursuing scientific and tech-related degrees. South Korea, too, is opening its doors through initiatives such as the Global Korea Scholarship, run in partnership with Morocco’s Ministry of Higher Education. Though still a small cohort, Moroccan students are increasingly drawn to the country — now home to more than 270,000 international students and fast emerging as an academic hub.

Meanwhile, Dubai — already home to more than 60,000 Moroccan nationals — remains a magnet for the well-to-do, thanks to its branches of top international universities. Souheila, a project lead in the energy sector and mother of a recent Lycée Descartes graduate, explains: “I submitted my daughter’s application to the University of Birmingham in Dubai because it’s a safe destination. Plus, these campuses offer transfer options to other major universities in the English-speaking world.”

Of course, these well-connected youths — bound for the boardrooms and ministries of tomorrow — represent only a fraction of Morocco’s rising generation. Yet every year, 60,000 students leave the country to study abroad. The question remains how many of them will return and rectify this “migration hemorrhage” that sociology professor-researcher Abdelfattah Ezzine worries about, and counter this brain drain by helping to the development of the country.

Meanwhile, at home, Morocco’s youth — 26% of the population, under 25 — remain caught between frustration and resolve. Educated, skilled, and determined to build their lives at home, will they need to comply to a two-speed system, inherited from a colonial order long thought obsolete? One can only hope not — and that this alarm call will finally be heard.