Tunisia’s Education Ministry Clarifies Recruitment Quota for People with Disabilities
Date: February 28 2026
Key Points
- No dedicated external competition has been launched to apply the 2 % quota reserved for candidates with disabilities.
- The statement follows a parliamentary question raised by Deputy Dhouha Salmi concerning the professional integration of disabled persons within the ministry.
- Current hiring actions are solely governed by Decree No. 21 of 2025, which regularises the status of substitute teachers (primary and secondary) already listed in the official database.
- In October 2025, Deputy Salmi asked the Education Minister how the 2 % quota would be effectively activated and what measures would ease employment for disabled people—especially the visually impaired, who face major barriers on the labour market.
- Law No. 83 of 2005 on the promotion and protection of persons with disabilities mandates that at least 2 % of annual public‑service recruitments be reserved for qualified disabled candidates.
Civil‑Society Pressure
The Tunisian Organization for the Defense of Persons with Disabilities (OTDPD) reiterated its call for strict enforcement of the quota during public competitions. The NGO warns that the planned recruitment volume remains low and does not reflect the spirit of the orientation law.
Full Translation
The Ministry of Education clarified that no specific external competition has been opened to implement the 2 % recruitment quota reserved for people with disabilities. This announcement follows a parliamentary interpellation by Deputy Dhouha Salmi on the professional integration of disabled persons within the ministry.
In its response, published last Friday on the website of the Assembly of the People’s Representatives (ARP), the ministry indicated that the current recruitments are only carried out under Decree No. 21 of 2025. This decree concerns the regularisation of the situation of substitute teachers in primary and secondary education who are already recorded in the official database.
In October 2025, Deputy Dhouha Salmi questioned the Education Minister about the effective activation of the 2 % quota and the measures planned to facilitate employment for people with disabilities, especially the visually impaired, who encounter major obstacles in the labour market.
According to Orientation Law No. 83 of 2005 on the promotion and protection of persons with disabilities, at least 2 % of annual public‑service recruitments must be reserved for disabled persons who meet the required conditions and qualifications.
Pressure from Civil Society
The Tunisian Organization for the Defense of Persons with Disabilities (OTDPD) has reiterated its appeal for the strict application of this law during public competitions. The organization deplores that the volume of scheduled recruitments remains “low and not in line with the spirit of the orientation law.”
Related Article
Read also: Education – the ministry reaffirms transparency of the recruitment of substitute teachers
Keywords: Tunisia, Education Ministry, recruitment quota, people with disabilities, 2 % quota, substitute teachers, Decree No. 21/2025, Law No. 83/2005, civil society, OTDPD, Dhouha Salmi.
