“Nearly half of university dormitories in Tunisia were fitted out to accommodate Tunisian students who will be repatriated and placed under mandatory quarantine,” Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Slim Choura said.
Student hostels meet health standards, Choura Wednesday told a hearing session convened by the crisis unit at the House of People’s Representatives.
Since the Covid-19 outbreak, the ministry started collecting requests submitted by Tunisian students wishing to be repatriated, he said, in coordination with the Foreign Ministry.
The minister said, in another vein, his department is seeking to guarantee equal chances to all students, whether they are Tunisians or foreign nationals. The latter account for 3% of the overall number of students enrolled in in public or private higher education institutions, that is 8,000 students.
A crisis unit was set up within the ministry to address issues in relation to Tunisian students abroad or foreign students in Tunisia, in coordination with the relevant departments and the Association of African Students and Trainees in Tunisia (French: AESAT).
