On Friday, Faten Chnoufi, national coordinator for substitute teachers and educators outside the digital database, emphasized that her colleagues and she have a right to a response from the supervisory authority regarding their appeals. The appeals concern their exclusion from the digital database used by the Ministry of Education to settle the status of substitute teachers in two phases. Chnoufi made these remarks during a protest in front of the Ministry of Education.
According to Chnoufi, around 800 substitute teachers, who worked between 2006 and 2024, were not included in the database due to an administrative error. This mistake prevented them from having their situations settled and being hired like their peers. Despite the small number of substitute teachers, many educational institutions currently face vacancies in essential subjects such as mathematics and Arabic.
Chnoufi stated that substitute teachers have all the necessary documents to prove they were assigned to fill vacancies during the period specified in the presidential decree No. 21 of 2025. This decree concerns the integration of substitute teachers and educators in primary, preparatory, and secondary schools under the Ministry of Education. The decree covers the period from 2006 to 2024 and establishes a working relationship under the law.
The national coordinator questioned the fate of the years substitute teachers spent working and waiting for their status to be settled. Although the decree specified that status settlements would be done in two phases, none of the substitute teachers were included in either phase despite meeting all the required conditions.
Presidential decree No. 21 of 2025 stipulates that all directly employed substitute teachers in primary, preparatory, and secondary schools will be integrated on the date of publication. Those not directly employed will be integrated on January 1, 2026, based on the Ministry of Education's database of individuals assigned to teach and fill vacancies in these schools starting from September 14, 2006.
The protests by substitute teachers highlight their plight and demand for recognition and regularization of their professional status. The situation reflects broader issues within Tunisia's education sector, including administrative inefficiencies and employment disputes. The protests also underscore the need for the Ministry of Education to address these grievances promptly.
The issue has significant implications for the education sector, particularly in terms of teacher shortages and the rights of temporary educators. A resolution to this matter could help alleviate some of the current challenges faced by the education system and provide stability for the substitute teachers involved.
Key points
- Over 800 Tunisian substitute teachers are demanding the regularization of their status.
- The protests are a result of an administrative error that excluded them from the Ministry of Education's database.
- The situation highlights broader issues within Tunisia's education sector, including administrative inefficiencies and employment disputes.
