Human Rights in Tunisia: Options and Accomplishments

Chapter2
Human Rights in Tunisia: Options and Accomplishments

Table of Contents

Declaration of November 7th,1987

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV

Chapter V

Chapter VI

Chapter VII

Chapter VIII

Chapter IX

Chapter X

Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

1 - The Right to Education

The right to education has been organized by two basic laws:

The law of July 29, 1991 reforming the educational system. This reform is based on two basic principles:

Eduction is compulsory for all children between the ages of 6 and 16.
Education is free of charge for all, and all enjoy equal opportunity to benefit from schooling.

The objectives of the educational system are:

To raise young people to be faithful and loyal to Tunisia, and prepare them for a life in which there is no room for any form of discrimination or segregation based on gender, social origin, race or religion.
To favor in young people an enrichment of the personality, a flourishing of the individual's faculties, and development of a critical spirit, so that little by little they are imbued with rationality and moderation in their judgment, self-confidence, and creativity.
To make young people aware of their rights and duties.

The law of July 28, 1989 pertaining to higher education and scientific research. This law is intended to:

Ensure students of their rights to suitable training that will enable them to assume their proper role in society, through structures and curricula that are in harmony with the changes that have occurred in this field and that are open to the economic, social and cultural environment.
Enable all those who obtain their baccalauréat (high school diploma) to enroll in higher institutions, to ensure all young Tunisians equality of opportunity.
Make the decentralisation of higher education a reality, by opening universities in the various regions of the country.

In order to further improve the output of the educational system, President Ben Ali has decided to connect all universities, scientific research institutes, secondary and middle schools to the Internet. This will be done in stages, and will be completed by the end of the Ninth Plan (1997-2001). In a later stage, primary schools will also be connected.

In his speech on the 11th anniversary of the Change, President Ben Ali decided that before the end of 1999 a national prospective consultation would be held on "the school of tomorrow," with the participation of representatives of the teaching body, the political parties, the national organizations and associations concerned, to draw up a clear approach reflecting the consensus of Tunisians of all categories on this decisive question for the country's future. He also instructed the social security funds to grant university scholarships for their members' children anbd to establish a special, favorable system taking into account the family income level and the number of children. The decision was also made to involve the bank system in this effort regarding direct university loans.

Main indicators :
School enrollment among children between 6 and 12 years of age: 86% in 1987; 92.3% in 1998.
Rate of success in the baccalauréat (high school diploma) examination: 33.6% in 1986; 49.5% in 1998.
A nearly four-fold increase in university student numbers: 155,120 in 1999, compared with about 41,000 in 1986.
Enrollment rate in higher education among the 20- to 24-year age group: 17.2% in 1999, compared with 5.7% in 1987.
Number of universities: 91 in 1999 against 49 in 1987.

Chapter2		Human Rights in Tunisia: Options and Accomplishments



	Table of Contents Declaration of November 7th,1987 Chapter I Chapter II Chapter III Chapter IV Chapter V Chapter VI Chapter VII Chapter VIII Chapter IX Chapter X		Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 1 - The Right to Education The right to education has been organized by two basic laws: The law of July 29, 1991 reforming the educational system. This reform is based on two basic principles: Eduction is compulsory for all children between the ages of 6 and 16. Education is free of charge for all, and all enjoy equal opportunity to benefit from schooling. The objectives of the educational system are: To raise young people to be faithful and loyal to Tunisia, and prepare them for a life in which there is no room for any form of discrimination or segregation based on gender, social origin, race or religion. To favor in young people an enrichment of the personality, a flourishing of the individual's faculties, and development of a critical spirit, so that little by little they are imbued with rationality and moderation in their judgment, self-confidence, and creativity. To make young people aware of their rights and duties. The law of July 28, 1989 pertaining to higher education and scientific research. This law is intended to: Ensure students of their rights to suitable training that will enable them to assume their proper role in society, through structures and curricula that are in harmony with the changes that have occurred in this field and that are open to the economic, social and cultural environment. Enable all those who obtain their baccalauréat (high school diploma) to enroll in higher institutions, to ensure all young Tunisians equality of opportunity. Make the decentralisation of higher education a reality, by opening universities in the various regions of the country. In order to further improve the output of the educational system, President Ben Ali has decided to connect all universities, scientific research institutes, secondary and middle schools to the Internet. This will be done in stages, and will be completed by the end of the Ninth Plan (1997-2001). In a later stage, primary schools will also be connected. In his speech on the 11th anniversary of the Change, President Ben Ali decided that before the end of 1999 a national prospective consultation would be held on "the school of tomorrow," with the participation of representatives of the teaching body, the political parties, the national organizations and associations concerned, to draw up a clear approach reflecting the consensus of Tunisians of all categories on this decisive question for the country's future. He also instructed the social security funds to grant university scholarships for their members' children anbd to establish a special, favorable system taking into account the family income level and the number of children. The decision was also made to involve the bank system in this effort regarding direct university loans. Main indicators : School enrollment among children between 6 and 12 years of age: 86% in 1987; 92.3% in 1998. Rate of success in the baccalauréat (high school diploma) examination: 33.6% in 1986; 49.5% in 1998. A nearly four-fold increase in university student numbers: 155,120 in 1999, compared with about 41,000 in 1986. Enrollment rate in higher education among the 20- to 24-year age group: 17.2% in 1999, compared with 5.7% in 1987. Number of universities: 91 in 1999 against 49 in 1987.