The educational landscape in Tunisia is facing a new escalation that threatens the stability of the school year. The General Federation of Basic Education, affiliated with the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), has decided to carry out a sector-wide general strike involving all primary school teachers. Scheduled for Tuesday, October 7, 2025, this move comes after months of stalemate in negotiations with the Ministry of Education.
The Federation officially submitted the strike notice to the Presidency of the Government and the Ministers of Education and Social Affairs. It emphasized that the strike is not an end in itself but a pressure tactic to “open the closed doors of negotiation” and address long-standing unresolved issues.
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Professional and Social Demands: Roots of the Crisis According to statements from the Federation, the strike is based on a set of professional, social, and educational demands deemed essential for improving working conditions and saving the education system. These demands center on several key pillars:
- Improving the Financial and Social Status of Educators:
- Financial Review and Allowances: Teachers are calling for a review of salaries, promotions, and the creation of a “Pedagogical Effort Allowance” to reflect the additional burdens they carry.
- Activating Signed Agreements: Expediting the implementation of previous agreements, as delays have contributed to years of continuous tension.
- Status of Substitute Teachers: Settling the financial dues of substitute teachers—who often receive lower and delayed pay—and ensuring their right to professional integration.
- Reforming the Educational System:
- Structural Reform: Developing a comprehensive plan to tackle structural and pedagogical challenges, ensuring quality education and reducing high dropout rates.
- Infrastructure: Addressing the deterioration of school buildings and the lack of basic facilities that make educational institutions uninviting or unsafe.
- Union Dialogue and Administrative Credibility:
- The Federation calls for a “serious and responsible dialogue” after a six-month hiatus and demands an end to the marginalization of unions in the reform process.
A Deep-Rooted Crisis: The Precedent of Withholding Grades This strike is part of an ongoing crisis. Last year, escalation reached unprecedented levels when 17,000 teachers and 350 principals withheld student grades from the Ministry’s digital platform. This standoff highlighted the widening gap between the two parties and its direct impact on over two million students.
The continuation of this crisis puts the future of the next generation at stake. Education, as a pillar of development, cannot be reformed through escalation or exclusion, but through justice, equity, and a motivating work environment.
