Basic Education Union denounces dismissal of 150 principals

The Basic Education Union in Tunisia denounced the decision by the Minister of Education to dismiss 150 school principals from their positions, considering it a “targeting of union work.”

According to Anadolu Agency, this came in a press conference held by the union’s general secretary, Nabil Hawashi, on Friday in the capital, Tunis.

Hawashi confirmed: “40 out of 150 school principals were dismissed from their positions who have union status. Their dismissal targets union work and attempts to abuse teachers and portray them as rebels and outlaws.”

Hawashi stressed they will: “Uphold the teachers’ demands, which I believe are legitimate.”The past academic year witnessed a crisis between the Ministry of Education and the union, during which negotiations between the two sides failed.

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The union demands to improve the financial situation of teachers by increasing their wages in line with the decline in purchasing power and high prices while finding a formula to settle their professional conditions.

“We are advocates of dialogue, and our approach is to solve the crisis by achieving the minimum gains teachers expect,” Hawashi conveyed.

He continued: “The cessation of negotiations between the ministry and the union can only lead to a confrontation that may continue until the beginning of the next academic year.”

On Thursday, Minister of Education Muhammad Ali Al-Bogdiri announced the dismissal of more than 150 school principals because they refused to process the test evaluations that the teachers handed over to the administration.

At the beginning of June, Al-Bogdiri confirmed in press statements: “The ministry supports dialogue, negotiation and exchange of views to reach agreements that improve the situation of teachers going through difficult conditions.”

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