Tunisian elites advocate the need for reform and improvement of the educational system as one of the most strategic sectors. Tunisian Minister of Education, Abdul Latif Obaid, about reforming Tunisia’s educational system, the still illegal revival of traditional Zitouna (religious) education and teacher’s strikes.
Minister Obaid, what is your attitude toward the call of Zitouna Mosque imam, Hussein al-Obeidi, to revive the Zitouna (religious) education through private elementary schools?
Tunisian elites advocate the need for reform and improvement of the educational system as one of the most strategic sectors. Tunisian Minister of Education, Abdul Latif Obaid, about reforming Tunisia’s educational system, the still illegal revival of traditional Zitouna (religious) education and teacher’s strikes.
Minister Obaid, what is your attitude toward the call of Zitouna Mosque imam, Hussein al-Obeidi, to revive the Zitouna (religious) education through private elementary schools?
There is no parallel educational system in Tunisia because the Law of November 4, 1958 issued by the late Mahmoud Messadi, the third Minister of Education after independence, united educational systems. Accordingly, Zitouna education was repealed although its lessons continued to 1964 until all of its students graduated. Therefore, I do not think our country now needs another educational system. Our current one has undoubtedly achieved great results and it needs reform, not change. I do not find it necessary to return to Zitouna education as it is outdated. Moreover, those who were in charge of it during the 1950s always exposed its flaws and called to reform it.
Tunisian elites currently fear using Zitouna education to pass a new religious discourse. What is your opinion of that?
The Ministry of Education has not yet allowed the revival of Zitouna elementary schools and considers them illegal. The Islamic Ennahda Movement is not in favor of Zitouna education. It is Mr. Hussein al-Obeidi, who has dissented from the movement, who wants to impose this education. Ennahda does not need Zitouna schools to pass its ideas and serve its partisan interests.
Can we talk about the reform of the educational system before issuing the constitution?
Reform of the educational system is a long and complex process that needs time, effort, scientific planning, and human and material resources. Reform is also not done in one swoop, so it is not surprising at all that the current elected government has initiated many reforms, particularly in the primary, vocational training and higher education sectors.
This reform is still in an infant stage and we are now in the process of establishing its institutional infrastructure through creating the Supreme Council of Education, the National Institute for Reform of Educational System, and the Educational Reform Steering Committee.
On the 18th of June, we had a comprehensive consultation with the primary school teachers in 4,517 schools to learn their positions and suggestions for the future.
The Ministry of Education faced difficulties in baccalaureate exams in the last academic year and also strikes at the beginning of this year. What do you think?
Strikes are not favored, and we call all educators to work and take full responsibility. We do not like strikes and find no need for it at the beginning of this academic year. We frequently expressed our position toward deducting three days wages of teachers’ salaries because of a strike on May 16, 30 and 31, and the government says the strike is unpaid even though it is legitimate. This is what the law stipulates in Tunisia and abroad.
Will your Ettakatol Party’s participation in the Troika government affect its popularity in the coming elections?
The Ettakatol participation in the current coalition government is conscious and informed and it has brought many benefits to the nation. We, in the Party, put the interests of the country above everything else. The future electoral gains we will realize through our participation in the government are insignificant for us and we are far from narrow partisan calculations. As ministers, we absolutely do not confuse our government affiliation with our party affiliation though this angers a lot of our struggler and friends.
