Khaberni - Lessons were almost completely disrupted in Tunisian institutes on Tuesday, in response to a strike called for by the Secondary Education Union, protesting against the Ministry of Education’s closure of the negotiation door, refusal to meet the professional and financial demands of the teachers, and to denounce the deterioration of the educational and pedagogical situation.
The General Union for Secondary Education said in a statement that this strike was approved to defend the material and moral rights of teachers and to denounce "the deterioration of working conditions inside educational institutions," and to protest against "the Ministry of Education's refusal to open channels of dialogue" and the non-implementation of previous agreements made with the union side.
So far, the Ministry of Education has not issued any official comment regarding the strike or the demands proposed, despite the growing unrest in the sector over months, due to the stalled negotiations with the educational unions.
Taher Hajlawi, one of the teachers participating in the strike, said: "Today we are forced to undertake this protest movement after all doors of dialogue with the Ministry of Education have been closed. Our demands are not impossible but are primarily related to improving our financial situations which have greatly deteriorated, in addition to the working conditions in the institutes which have become difficult and do not help in performing our educational mission as it should be."
In a statement to "Al Arabiya.net" and "Al Hadath.net," he denounced the supervisory authority's retreat in implementing the signed agreements, which included wage increases starting from last January, emphasizing that today's strike is a reminder to the authority of its obligations towards the sector and a means of pressure to restore the rights of teachers and ensure a better educational environment, especially for the students, according to him.
This protest movement comes in the context of ongoing tension between the two sides, amid fears of its impact on the normal course of the academic year, especially if the deadlock in dialogue continues.
