Tunisia

Adult Education: Until recently Tunisians have had little opportunity to change their careers. Based on recent recommendations made by Tunisian government leaders, however, this is likely to soon change. As Tunisia adjusts to the demands of the information age and prepares its population for the new service-sector jobs appearing on the horizon, particularly in the high-technology and scientific fields, additional opportunities will open for adults to return to school to resume their studies, supplement their education, or change careers. This was made evident in President Ben Ali's presentation in October 1999 of his recommendations for necessary education reforms, especially in the area of higher education. The private business sector already provides ongoing seminars, computer-related courses, and business-management courses for businessmen and businesswomen. Expanding educational programming in other areas of study for the general adult population also will be of clear benefit to Tunisia as the country seeks to compete with its more economically developed business partners across the Mediterranean in Europe and around the globe.

One clear exception to the present relative lack of opportunity for adult study in Tunisia is the well-known and well-regarded Habib Bourguiba School of Living (Modern) Languages, located in Tunis with a network of language training centers throughout the country. The Habib Bourguiba Institute is a university institution linked to the University of Tunis-El Manar. Its primary objective is to teach modern languages to all—students and employees, adult Tunisians and foreigners alike. The Institute also carries out applied research on pedagogical methods for teaching modern foreign languages to adults. Courses are available in modern standard Arabic, Tunisian Arabic, specialized Arabic, general and specialized English, German, Spanish, general and specialized French, Italian, Persian, Russian, Chinese, Hebrew, and Turkish. Courses are offered in Tunis and in 23 other centers in other cities around Tunisia through day and evening courses and summer sessions. The day courses are available in intensive and semi-intensive versions depending on the number of hours one wishes to study each week (16 for intensive, 8 for semi-intensive). The annual courses last from October through June, and a national examination is given to culminate course studies and to qualify students for the diploma issued by the Institute. In all of the Institute's courses, cultural activities are blended in with formal language study to reinforce and complement classroom learning. These activities take the form of music, pronunciation exercises, videos, assemblies, and calligraphy during the courses themselves as well as parallel activities conducted after class hours such as cultural workshops conducted by specialists in oriental dance, theater, Arabic music, the traditional culinary arts, and diction, film showings, and Arabic educational games. Additionally, guided visits and excursions outside of class hours and during weekends provide Institute students with the opportunity to visit and learn about Tunisia's historical and archaeological treasures, Arabic Muslim civilization, and modern Tunisia. The summer courses carry a residential option as well.

Distance Education: Efforts to develop new methods for delivering education at a distance are underway in Tunisia as of 2001, with special attention being given to developing computer technology so that courses can be conducted via the Internet. The European Commission at the turn of the millennium visited Tunisia and several other countries to assess government and business policies on information technology and determine how the European Commission could encourage the growth of an information society. Regarding Tunisia, an analyst working with the Commission noted in the year 2000, "The development of information society (including IT, telecom, new technologies) is understood by many high ranking Tunisian officials as a strategic focus, that should be part of Tunisia's preparation to play an important part in the service sector in the Mediterranean when the free trade area opens in 2008." One challenge yet to be overcome seemed to be that posed by Tunisian government censorship. The analyst observed, "We should note that the major brake on Internet development in Tunisia is essentially political: censorship policy applied on the Internet is an important block to all activities on the Net." By 1999 Tunisia had four Internet service providers.

Television and radio have long been used as educational tools throughout Tunisia, where many families even in remote rural areas have access to their own satellite dishes (parabol) with which they can receive not only transmissions from Tunisia's television broadcasting stations but also from Europe, other parts of the Maghreb, and the Middle East. In 1997 there were about 920,000 televisions in Tunisia (about 1 for every 10 people), and 2.06 million radios (224 per 1,000 people), making entertainment and educational programming accessible to the vast majority of Tunisians, particularly as Tunisia continued its electrification campaign throughout the countryside. In 1998 seven AM radio stations were operating in Tunisia, 20 FM radio stations, and two short-wave radio stations, while 19 television broadcast stations and some low-power stations were transmitting television programs around the country.

Micro-Credit & Micro-Enterprise Training: The Tunisian government, Tunisian women's associations, and international aid donors have cooperated since March 1999 to make micro-credit loans and grants available especially to rural women in order to stimulate local enterprise and prepare greater numbers of self-employed individuals who can generate income for themselves and their families and spark economic growth in their communities. The Ministry of Women's and Family Affairs, created in August 1992 by President Ben Ali, manages the technical assistance funds for women's micro-enterprise from the Tunisian government side in partnership with women's nongovernmental organizations in Tunisia and community development NGOs who assist in organizing and training the micro-credit beneficiaries. Tunisian funds provided for this program are issued through the Tunisian Solidarity Bank (Banque Tunisienne de Solidarité) at low interest rates, with interest accruing to the benefit of the partner NGOs.

Rural Women's Associations: Besides the micro-credit training projects described above, special government support is being provided for implementing a national action plan for rural women. The plan, adopted by a ministerial council of the Ministry of Women's and Family Affairs in December 1998, involves the creation in each governorate of a regional commission headed by the governor charged with the task of planning and carrying out a customized plan of action for the rural women in the governorate. Activity centers for rural women are envisioned that will help mobilize community participation and respond to rural women's needs regarding information and training.