Teachers’ strike fuels Tunisia turmoil
Educators demand higher wages and better work conditions
Tunis — Thousands of Tunisian teachers rallied on Wednesday near the prime minister’s office to demand better work conditions and higher wages, in an escalation of their protests against the cash-strapped government. The government is under pressure from international lenders to cut spending and reduce its large budget deficit but also faces public anger over high unemployment, especially among the young, and poverty. In Al Kasbah square in central Tunis, the teachers chanted: “We want our rights” and “This is a pen revolution”, an indirect allusion to the first “Arab Spring” revolt that erupted in Tunisia in 2011 and overthrew autocrat Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. Teachers have been boycotting exams for hundreds of thousands of students for almost two months, fuelling tensions in the North African nation and prompting anxious parents to organise their own demonstrations. The National Parents’ Association has called for a demonstration this week to protest against the plight of their ch...
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