Tunisia

Training & Qualifications: As noted above, teacher training takes place largely through a set of institutes established to prepare primary-education teachers. The question of how to best upgrade teachers' skills and improve the quality of curriculum design and methods of instruction, as already mentioned, has received special attention from educators and government educational officials in Tunisia since the late 1990s. Similarly, improving pedagogical research throughout the country, both at special research institutes and through the applied research conducted on a daily basis by teachers in their classrooms, is the subject of recent study among educators and administrators who want to ensure that Tunisia is ready for the demands it must face as jobs become technologically more complex and Tunisian students must be prepared to meet the demands of a rapidly shifting job market.

Unions & Associations: National organizations and community associations are increasingly being organized in Tunisia where members participate in developing and implementing programs whose goals often resemble those of Tunisia's more formal educational programs and institutions. The National Union of Tunisian Women, for example, promotes rural education, healthcare, and micro-enterprise development for women and girls. The National Chamber of Women Heads of Enterprises (Chambre Nationale des Femmes Chefs d'entreprises) offers management training to women and assists women in preparing investment proposals. Additionally, attached to some of the government ministries are branches and organs that carry out education-related work with specific emphases. For instance, the Center for Research, Study, Documentation, and Information on Women is a scientific arm of the Ministry of Women's and Family Affairs and monitors women's progress in social and economic areas, some of them related to education and training. As international donor agencies provide funding to support the development of civil society, Tunisia is bound to flourish in the area of community mobilization and participation, having already gotten off to a good start with Tunisian government-sponsored social welfare and assistance programs and rural development initiatives under President Ben Ali, who has consistently worked to provide the necessary support for the social and economic development of Tunisia's population, both rural and urban. The President's efforts have been well appreciated across Tunisia and have built him a strong base of public support.