TUNIS (Reuters) – Tunisia has taken measures to address the ongoing protests demanding higher pay, suspending salary payments for 17,000 teachers and dismissing 350 school principals, as announced by authorities on Monday.
This decision could potentially impact approximately 30% of the country’s primary school teachers. As tensions rise amidst a severe economic crisis, the conflict between the government and the influential UGTT union is expected to escalate further.
As part of their protest, teachers in Tunisia have deliberately withheld school grades, an action that has raised concerns about the impact on students. Education Minister Mahamed Ali Bougdiri expressed his distress, stating, “The students’ failure to obtain school grades is a disaster and a crime against children.”
Tunisia’s decision to suspend salary payments has been criticized by Ikbel Azzabi, a union official, who claims that the government is attempting to “starve teachers”. He also warned that the upcoming school season is likely to be challenging due to anticipated protest movements, with hundreds of school principals already submitting their resignations.
While the education ministry asserts that the country’s public finances cannot accommodate the teachers’ demands, countless families fear that the conflict between the ministry and the union will further exacerbate the ongoing crisis in Tunisia. This, in turn, jeopardizes the upcoming school season, as citizens already face skyrocketing inflation, insufficient public services, and the scarcity of various food commodities.
(Reporting by Tarek Amara; Editing by Devika Syamnath)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
