TUNIS - Improving quality of the higher education and boosting employability and legibility of Tunisian diplomas were the key themes discussed during the debate aired, on Tuesday evening, by "Tunisie 7" TV channel and the National Radio.
This 9th appointment of a series of television and radio debates with the government members gathered Higher Education and Scientific Research Minister Béchir Tekkari with the main actors in the sector.
The debate was attended by members of academia, researchers, students, parents, heads of enterprise, intellectuals, creators and other representatives of civil society.
The debate focused on the efforts exerted for the development of scientific research, the gains accomplished in this area, as well as the measures decided in favour of valorisation of the results of research-development. Emphasis was also placed on the special attention lavished on the higher-education sector by the President of the Republic. Six-per-cent of the State budget is devoted to the sector.
As regards university orientation, the Minister underlined that 92 pc of those who passed the Baccalaureate exam obtained one of their first four choices. In order to improve information in matters of university orientation, the National University Orientation Centre, launched last summer, will be open throughout the whole year and will have offices in all regions of the country. A commission was also set up to deepen thinking on the orientation system in order to better meet aspirations of the students and the national economy's needs.
Besides, the Minister said that out of a total of 360,000 students, university accommodation demands concern only 180,000 students.
The minister urged the private sector to support State efforts in this matter and claim rents that take into account students' financial resources and their families'.
As regards university scholarships, one third of the students are making the most of it, he said. There are other alternatives, such as the university loans, bank loans and those granted by social funds, not to mention social assistance granted to some students. Employability of higher-education graduates is of great concern to students, their parents and especially the state.
In this connection, Mr. Tekkari underlined that the higher-education graduates' employment has always captured all state structures' attention and that the President of the Republic, personally, follows up progress of the employment indicators and has always seen to it to bring about the adequate solutions.
After four years of implementation, the LMD system is presently under assessment. The Minister underlined that the LMD system has entered into effect in several world countries, notably in Europe, Tunisia's key partner. Its implementation in Tunisia took place only after a national broad consultation with all the sector's stakeholders.
The LMD system aims to boost a promising specialised education, one that has a strong technological contents, so as to improve the Tunisian economy's competitiveness, in particular, and guarantee training of high skills mastering advanced technologies.
Mr. Béchir Tekkari stressed that the assessment noted some issues that the ministry, in collaboration with the different concerned sides, are striving to resolve, underscoring that among LMD system's characteristics there are its flexibility and its adaptability.
LMD allows students to easily shift from one specialty to another and to keep abreast with the scientific and economic changes.
This orientation encompasses reinforcement of partnership and scientific co-operation with the foreign universities and setting up of co-graduation, which allows a better scientific visibility to Tunisian graduates and opens up broad prospects for Tunisian job applicants in foreign countries.
In another connection, the Minister underlined that scientific research registered convincing results, notwithstanding its strong academic propensity, the target set consists in adapting research to the needs of development, notably, in those priority sectors.
© Agence Tunis Afrique Presse 2010
