The Education Minister Noureddine Nouri’s announcement regarding the planned ban on students leaving school premises starting in October raises questions about the resources needed to implement it, particularly during free periods or in the event of teacher absences.
In an exclusive interview with Tunisia Numérique, Deputy Mounir Kamouni, vice-president of the Education Committee in the Assembly of the Representatives of the People (ARP), supports this direction. He believes, however, that its success requires strengthening infrastructures and staffing, while providing accompanying measures.
A request motivated by protecting students
Mounir Kamouni explains that the ban on outings responds to a request that has been made for some time in order to protect students from risky behaviors in the school environment.
He justifies his support by what he describes as an increase in violence on the outskirts of establishments, as well as risks related to drugs and harassment. This issue had been raised within the Education Committee before the parliamentary holidays, he notes.
For the deputy, the central issue remains the Ministry’s ability to bring together the conditions necessary to implement this orientation.
Study rooms and school cafeterias to be provided
The vice-president of the committee notes that several establishments do not have study rooms or school cafeterias. Others experience a high density of students in classes.
According to him, these insufficiencies constitute an obstacle to keeping students within the school premises during periods without classes. He therefore deems it necessary to respond to infrastructure needs in parallel with the implementation of the announced measure.
The shortage of supervisors at the heart of the difficulties
Mounir Kamouni stresses the decisive role of staff. He reports a severe shortage of supervisors, head supervisors and supervisory staff in many establishments, in addition to a shortage of service personnel.
These vacancies reduce, in his view, the capacity to take charge of students during free hours or in case of teacher absence. He also points to the absence of mechanisms to respond to unexpected vacancies.
The deputy therefore calls for a set of complementary measures: filling vacant posts, opening recruitment competitions for supervisors, regularizing pending situations and files, and establishing a system to replace teachers temporarily absent.
He also states that some students have not yet been able to join their classes since the start of the school year due to the absence of a teacher. A situation that requires, in his view, a response.
The commission’s priorities discussed on Friday
Mounir Kamouni also announces that the Education Commission will hold on Friday a meeting devoted to its work priorities, notably the bill relating to sports facilities.
Regarding the parliamentary resumption, he indicates that no official correspondence specifying its date had reached him at the time of his statement. He nevertheless expects a restart in the coming days, at the beginning of October.
