Citizen diagnostic on secondary education in Tunisia: Douar Hicher, Kasserine North and Tataouine North

This study takes a participatory, citizen-driven approach to supporting the right of young people to education, and improving and reforming public educational services.

International Alert believes that supporting the right to education, and improving and reforming public educational services, requires the participation of students – because they are the recipients of this service. It is important to include their own perceptions and their evaluations of their educational conditions, as well as identifying the difficulties and problems they face.

Involving youth from working-class neighbourhoods and interior regions in assessing public policies in the field of education helps to enhance their influencing role and fulfil their needs and expectations. It also benefits decision-makers by providing them with accurate and transparent data. This can help realise developmental goals aimed at reforming and improving the educational system, establishing and maintaining educational institutions in regions suffering from poverty, marginalisation, exclusion and school dropouts.

This field study was conducted to diagnose and evaluate the status of educational services at the secondary level. The goal was to promote the right to public education by improving access and quality, especially in the interior regions and working-class neighbourhoods. A questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 1,200 students in three schools in three different delegations: the Echabab Secondary Institute in Douar Hicher (Manouba), the Al-Manar Institute in the Ennour neighbourhood (Kasserine) and the co-ed Secondary Institute in Tataouine North (Tataouine).

The surveys focused on educational conditions, equipment, school activities, educational framework and at-risk behaviours. The aim was to reach a general overview of the educational environment from the viewpoint of the students and to provide recommendations and proposals that will improve the quality of educational services.