Tunisia: President Saied Underscores Urgency of Protecting Educational Institutions Against Drug Scourge

Tunis, Feb 12 — President Kaïs Saïed emphasised on Wednesday the urgent need to protect pupils from the drug scourge, which has spread within and around educational institutions.

During a meeting held with Minister of the Interior Khaled Nouri, Minister of Education Noureddine Nouri and Secretary of State for National Security Sofiene Ben Sadok, the Head of State underscored the imperative of continuously deploying school patrols to secure educational establishments, according to a Presidency of the Republic press release.

While condemning the alarming escalation of a phenomenon endangering social cohesion, Saïed pointed out that a security approach alone is not enough to reverse the trend, pointing out the need to pool the efforts of all stakeholders to eradicate drug trafficking networks.

In this regard, he recommended dedicating part of daily classroom sessions to raising the pupils' awareness of drug dangers, affirming that the only antidote to this scourge lies in an approach promoting pupils' intellectual development and instilling patriotic education capable of preserving the State and its unity, while guaranteeing social cohesion within families and throughout the school environment.

President Saïed recalled the crucial importance of the education sector, saying that it is a "sovereignty sector".

"It is no coincidence that the Constitution, the State's supreme text, solemnly provides for the establishment of a Higher Council for Education and Teaching," the Head of State asserted, adding that this key structure, to be established shortly, will work to remedy erroneous choices adopted in the past within this sector.

In this connection, he indicated that reforming the education sector is a long-term endeavour, arguing that in order to remedy the mistakes of the past patient efforts spanning more than two decades are required.

"Our country, which was meant to achieve zero illiteracy, is today succumbing to a new form of "disguised" illiteracy, fuelled by rising school dropout rates and the erosion of free thought," President Saïed lamented.

Read the original article on Tunis Afrique Presse.