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Weekly highlights

Public lighting

New developments in the anti-dumping investigation

S EVERAL companies have ted for the examination sample of the
investigation”, announced the fede-
come forward to disapprove of
the anti-dumping investigation
into LED lighting fixtures. More pre- ration in its October 2024 newsletter.
Among other things, the sample will
cisely, those used in public lighting and be used to determine whether there
originating in China. And with good has been any damage to the interests
reason: on September 2, 2024, the of what is legally known as the domes-
Ministry of Foreign Trade launched its tic industry. Quite a program! With the
investigations into this product, which surprising recourse to “a specialist in
is highly prized by local authorities trade defense”, according to Fenelec.
such as communes - and therefore in The federation does not specify ei-
public procurement contracts - and real ther its identity or that of the three ope-
estate developers, particularly private rators selected in the sample. Lumino-
developers. Street lighting lampposts are at the heart of an international trade law dispute for the second va based in Temara, Sofa and General
The Government had dispat- time. Marcont Structures and Afric Light had already requested safeguard measures before Technics in Casablanca. The “specia-
ched its investigators on the basis of withdrawing their complaint (L’Economiste n°6001 of April 30, 2021). Lux Lighting, which list” is Mustapha Khalfi, a member of
a complaint from Lux Lighting (see initiated the latest complaint relating to LED luminaires from China, has the same manage- the PJD party and former Minister of
L’Economiste issue # 6839 of Sep- ment as Marcont Structures, in the person of Mohamed Malal (Private photo). Communication under the Benkirane
tember 4 and n°6842 of September lers of lighting fixtures... importers, virtually all stakeholders as members. government, according to his sponsors.
9, 2024). Lux Lighting is one of two for example, had until October 8 to From the plaintiff, Lux Lighting, to its He is the author of the “technical
national operators, alongside Afrique express their views on the legitimacy challengers, including Alliance CEI. and legal report” contesting the dum-
Light, based in Casablanca’s Moulay of the complaint and whether or not Its top management, Karim Khalil, is ping allegations. Their comments
Rachid industrial zone. The complai- to open the anti-dumping investiga- in charge of the commission working and observations are based on the
nant alleges dumping by selling LED tion. Prior to this, meetings were held on this case, according to the Fenelec 1994 GATT Agreement, the WTO
luminaires on the local market at prices under the aegis of the National Fede- presidency and the party concerned. Anti-dumping Agreement, the Trade
below those charged in the exporting ration of Electricity, Electronics, and In addition, “six companies submit- Defense Act, and WTO case law on
country. Renewable Energies (Fédération natio- ted to the Ministry a technical and legal international trade law. o
Hence the call for all interested par- nale de l’électricité, de l’électronique report containing detailed comments Faiçal FAQUIHI
ties to come forward: Chinese expor- et des énergies renouvelables, Fene- on the anti-dumping petition. Of these
ters/producers, importers, even instal- lec). This trade association includes six companies, three have been selec-

Pioneering schools

Are we still on the wrong track?

T HERE often is a world of that: “The teachers, for their part, are
difference between rhetoric
complaining about their workload,
and reality. Such is the case
with the Pioneer Schools program, and the amount of slides they have
to parade for the pupils”. Parents
launched last year and due to be gra- have also voiced their discontent.
dually rolled out across the board. The According to our director, seve-
Government is betting big on this pro- ral parents have chosen to transfer
gram, which is designed to restore pu- their children to “normal” schools.
blic schools to their former glory. It is “We’re losing good and average
one of the key pillars of the Ministry pupils, because they’re fed up, they
of Education’s 2021-2026 roadmap. feel they’re not learning anything”,
Last Wednesday, the program was he said. For the school principal, the
raised at a meeting of the Ministerial establishments”. That said, feedback tutoring sessions. The textbooks sup- pioneering school certainly has the
Commission in charge of steering from the field is not glowing. Experts, plied by the Ministry for the pionee- advantage of providing more facili-
the reform of the national education principals, teachers, and parents are ring schools have not yet all been de- ties and saving some of the very low-
and preschool system, chaired by the voicing their concerns about the roll- livered. “We’ve been asked to make achieving children. However, the lear-
Head of Government. According to out of this program. photocopies! What’s more, some of ning techniques used are not suitable
the press release issued following the “It is a disaster on every level - the first grade books are in black and for all pupils. They are more recom-
meeting, the 2023-2024 experimenta- we’ve never seen anything like it!” , white, and not at all attractive to the mended for children with profound
tion of the system in 626 public ele- said forcefully the principal of a state little ones. Even when it comes to delays, and are almost akin to literacy
mentary school (in urban, peri-urban elementary school in Casablanca. equipment, such as whiteboards and training for illiterates. For pupils with
and rural areas) showed a “significant According to the school principal, curtains, there are delays. The sup- a higher level, nothing is planned.
impact on pupils’ learning levels, and classes didn’t really start until mid- plier commissioned by the Ministry “We’re going to lose them” , said the
a contribution to the overall transfor- November, as they first had to go seems to be completely out of step”, principal, expressing some fears. o
mation in the performance of these through a “remediation”period with lamented the school principal, adding Ahlam NAZIH

Friday 6 December 2024