Tunisia’s education system has come a long way in just 50 years and can only go farther, said a University of Texas professor who spoke at the Tunisian Student Association in North America’s second annual banquet Friday.
Mounira M. Charrad, a sociology professor at the University of Texas at Austin, celebrated Tunisian culture and the 50th anniversary of the Education Reform Act of 1958 that initiated Tunisia’s mission to ensure a quality education for every child. Charrad said one of the most important outcomes of the initiative is that gender equality has become the norm in Tunisia.
"I think Tunisia’s education system has gone through extraordinary development. It’s not an accident," Charrad said. "Not only has the system expanded to make sure that every child is in school – that is very rare in developing countries – the curriculum has also changed. Men and women have been presented as equals."
The Education Reform Act of 1958 – passed two years after Tunisia won independence from France – started Tunisia on the road to quality education by setting up a system to expose students to world affairs, according to International Reports, a tracking organization run by the advertising department of The Washington Times. Tunisia has put more than 20 percent of its national budget toward education, and Tunisia reached a 99.1 percent enrollment rate for children starting school at age 6.
In 1989 the Tunisian government passed a law mandating gender equality and tolerance for everyone be taught in education, International Reports said, and the Tunisian government has a sustaining textbook industry. Updated textbooks are made available for everyone in school because of the change in laws. These textbooks are required to portray men and women as equals.
According to UNESCO, 97 percent of boys and 98 percent of girls in Tunisia are enrolled in primary school of elementary and middle levels, and Charrad said school is not the only place where women are taking charge as equals.
"Tunisia is at the very top of the (Middle East North Africa) region when it comes to gender equality," Charrad said. "Women hold seats in parliament. Women were voting in the 2004 Tunisian elections. We have a woman governor."
Tunisia has also seen a dramatic reduction in illiteracy thanks to its initiatives. According to UNESCO, the average literacy rate for youth is 94.3 percent. Charrad and Walid Ardhaoui, the director of finance at Baker Hughes Inc., said Tunisia’s most important sign of improvement are the students studying at colleges like UH and excelling in mathematics, engineering, computer science and finance. Ardhaoui shared his story of coming to the United States from Tunisia for his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in finance and management and later elevation to director of finance at Baker Hughes.
"This story is just like the story that all of you have, but what you must learn from this is that Tunisia has the advantage in mathematics, engineering and finance," Ardhaoui said. "I invite students to take advantage of that success and use it to further their own pursuits. They can work for any company they want. They can work for NASA. They can work in London and Paris. We have very high-ranking people who come from Tunisia. That’s a testament to the quality of Tunisian education."
Nesrine Aroua, a chemical engineering senior and TUSANA member, said she was proud of Tunisia’s achievements. Hearing how far her country has come in terms of gender equality and quality of education has fueled her drive to be successful and a role model for future Tunisian students, she said.
"I want to get my Ph.D. and work for NASA or a company like Baker Hughes," Aroua said. "Fifty years ago, (Tunisia and its people) struggled with education. They struggled until they got where they are now and showed the importance of women in education. Maybe if I come back to Tunisia now, I will have an important place there."
Charrad said there are still improvements to be made. While the country excels in math and science, Tunisia still needs to improve the quality of education in other arenas, she said.
"To improve other fields like social sciences and the humanities, it is only a question of time," Charrad said. "Those other fields (mathematics and technology) have been specifically targeted for improvement. You can’t have everything at once. It’s just a question of time."
Until then, Charrad said she is celebrating the achievements Tunisia has made and places her hopes on Tunisian youth. Students in organizations such as TUSANA, she said, will contribute to Tunisia’s continued success. She predicts that these students will help make Tunisia a fierce competitor in world markets, and they will increase world recognition of the country as a truly democratic nation with quality education for every child.
"There will be more and more improvements and strengthening in mathematics and mechanical fields. I see it going farther than it has," Charrad said. "Maybe next time when I talk about Tunisia, people won’t say, ‘Indonesia?’"
For more information on TUSANA and its events, visit www.uh.edu/tusana.
