After a slightly faltering start with access to only one expensive private school the previous day, I was hoping for a much more productive session. Sirene arrived at the hotel with the driver at 8.30am and we met Hela at the El Omrane school about 10 mins away. Coincidently this was Helas old school, a place where she had been very happy by all accounts. She tells me that whilst it had been a school of very good repute in her day, the immediate area had suffered from some social decline. She therefore categorised the school as an L (lower middle class) rather than an M (middle class) as in years gone by. This was my first real look at the public school and my first impressions were very positive. The school is large, clean and well-ordered with no obvious signs of ill-discipline. You never know what to expect in so called developing countries but Tunisia (considered mid table in terms of HDI and EDI) is certainly not Ghana. We were welcomed by the Director who chatted about the old days for a while with Hela. Suddenly a couple of teachers appeared and we were well into our first interviews. The discussions were more than interesting and its clear that these teachers are no make-weights but well trained professionals.

In the absence of clear aims and guidelines from ASI, Im gonna simply present the work as a pilot study giving the opportunity for teachers to express there chief concerns prior to any further, more detailed research and potential reforms. Myself and Madame J (an English Teacher) talked for nearly an hour before the Director showed up around the school. The classrooms are large and but anodyne, it seems that there are no dedicated rooms and so no opportunity for teachers to customise the environment and make learning a more dynamic and interactive experience. None the less, the rooms were basically equipped and flexible i.e small desks allowing for movement in support of collaborative learning activities. The school is also a pilot school, one that caters for exceptional children from all over the country (with boarding facilities) and which every social class. The director showed us the Art room and some of the murals and painting done by the children, it was also noted that they are working on revolutionary themes, representations that of course were banned under the previous regime. Finally, we were taken to a typical science lab and I had the opportunity to talk for a short while to some students. They crowded around and were very enthusiastic to practice their English. They said they enjoyed school but that its an exhausting experience; too many subjects in the curriculum. This was a very encouraging start to the day and I was very grateful to the Director for dropping everything at short notice and showing me around. Next on the list were schools in Ettahdamen, a poor district that grew spontaneously as a result of increasing rural migration (similar to Aguablanca but with out the conspicuous violence). Like Aguablanca, first impressions are far from negative though solid middle-class types like Sirene and Hela see it differently. Yes, its a poor area but the housing is permanent, the roads are good and all the necessary services and utilities appear to be here. Unlike Cali however there isnt the intensity of violence and so far, no signs of wooden shacks and mountains of displaced people.

The first school was the local Upper Secondary school. The Director was a relatively young man, about my age, well dressed, professional and seemingly positive in a low key kind of way. Difficult to tell as all conversations are done in the local language which appears to be a hybrid of French and Arabic. He naturally was a little bit concerned about the superficial nature of my study so it was fortunately that I had prepared my pilot study spiel and got him to see the positive side of research (that actual registers stakeholder concerns rather than simply imposes ill-considered solutions on them). The teachers (three of them and none of them from language subjects) assembled and also gave me a little of the outsider treatment before agreeing to talk. On discussing the nature of education provision in marginalised districts, the Director pulled out a fist full of long-bladed knives recently confiscated from children on the school premises. It certainly focused attention on the local context and related social concerns. After this institution we remained in the marginalised zone and went to a similar school just down the road, though not on my original list. The Director introduced us to a couple of Language teachers (Italian and English). They didnt seem bothered in the slightest about my motives and happily passed on their concerns.

We made very good progress today and where we were not able to talk to teachers directly due to concerns about institutional instability resulting from a unique set of circumstances, we were able to leave both teacher and parent questionnaires. Naturally, this is not ideal research procedure but neither are these ideal research conditions, in terms of time and resource committed.

After a full day in the saddle, a broad pattern is beginning to emerge. Something like the following:

– Lack of coherence and flexibility in the curriculum. From vision, to objectives, to subjects, to themes, to methods, to materials to testing. All of it has been referenced as some time or other. Could be that the system was adopted to rapidly and without due consideration to context. More time is needed to clarify and embed the curriculum
– Priority schools are not given the priority they need in terms of support and resources in order to operate effectively
– Centralised control means that local Management are unable to solve directly manage their problems
– No authentic mechanism to encourage parental responsibility and avoid shifting the blame for social ills on the teacher.
– School leadership instability. The Directors of schools in Marginalised areas are changed regularly for whatever reason (3 or 4 per decade)

Many of the problems that undermine the public education system here are no doubt prevalent in the deliver of education (particularly in marginalised communities) across the entire world; with the exception of a certain instability created by the revolution and the radical adoption of a progressive agenda and related curriculum (from Canada). Many of the concerns that I will raise were supposed to have been addressed by the 2002 reform, though none of changes comes easy. After an inordinately long day (six schools visited), I finally get back to the ranch and take a breather and a couple of half decent movies on the telly. I just dont have the energy for a load of writing tonight

No one was on the street today as it was a Sunday and the market place is closed. The focus therefore was on my scheduled meeting with Hela, my guide and local school inspector. First success was to get my internet up and running thanks to the hotels maintenance man, strange how naked you feel without it. I introduced myself and reassured her that I had no axe to grind and no special agenda, she appeared particular pleased to know that I had taught myself and what not simply a medalling researcher. After having discussed my perception of the Tunisian system based on a limited Literature Review, we agreed that quality was the principle concern of education policy since the 2002 reforms and most particular, the secondary level of education. Furthermore, she agreed that the Basic Education curriculum was too congested with no time for sports and art subjects. The current curriculum is apparently based on the notion of integrated competencies (a list of can dos), a system originally imported from Canada that supports critical thinking, the development of life skills and technology all underpinned by a socially constructivist method. All of this is based on authentic Tunisian series of textbooks and appropriate teacher training. All sounds very impressive but it represented a radical departure from the previous system which was predominantly rote based. Hela believes that these reforms represent a positive step but they require more time (currently 9 years) to bed-in before positive results are forthcoming. However, it does appear to create great conflict for the teachers who are attempting to improve the pass rates amongst the students in order to satisfy parents and the authorities but struggling with a radically different pedagogy at the same time i.e. the system may be driven by product rather than process. Hela also insists that the progressive notion of Critical Thinking in no way conflicts with the authentic ontology/worldview of the Tunisian people which is very western in outlook while remaining conscious of their Muslim heritage.

With respect to organisation, the reforms were intended to provide for a decentralisation of education but it seems that this has not yet been reflected on the ground in terms of financial resources and tools within the schools. All in all, Tunisia finds itself at a critical moment in the educational lifecycle just at the time when significant political change is anticipated. Hela suggests that it is the businessmen and corporate leaders that are filling the political vacuum left by Ben Ali which would suggest that things will progress in a similar Eurocentric direction provided the right people win power at the 24th July elections. However she fears the rise of religious fundamentalism and the loss of the secular equality first established in 1956 on independence from France.

The day started somewhat slowly and inauspiciously as Brian attempted to seek further permission from the authorities to enter the specific list of secondary schools that I had identified for research. It certainly wasnt the flying start that I had hoped for but thats common in research, particularly when dealing with bureaucracy. Meanwhile, myself and Hela agreed to meet at 1.30pm and visit a adjacent pair of local independent school that she thought would be amenable to our uninvited approach. For the intervening hours, I started to prepare the final report (before I’d even started the study) and fill in a few of the contextual details not dependent on the data gathering process.

As Im now settled into the hotel, I often go down to the restaurant to write as its a more public environment and certainly more convivial than my room. As I was setting up my computer, I got talking to a lady at the opposite table. Fanta happens to work for the World Bank in Geneva but is here in Tunis for a job interview with the African Development Bank. She is originally from Guinea and is keen to return to Africa after many years in Europe, so naturally I took the opportunity to talk about my work here and the broader issues of education and private schools for the poor. She was very interested in the topic, gave me her card and asked me to keep in touch, particular if I was intending to do research in SSA. We exchanged cards and I gave a shout to Tooley and Dixon and the E.G.West website and lets hope we can remain in contact.

At the appointed hour, I met up with Hela and also Serine, my second assistant who works directly for Brian. Though I dont think she has any experience in the education system, she is multi-lingual and seemingly enthusiastic and lets be honest, I need all the help that I can get right now. Serine was on her way to the MoE with my list for approval but she was able to drop off the questionnaires and would attempt to catch us up later that afternoon. Meanwhile, Hela and myself headed up the road to this pair of independent schools. Both institutions were large, imposing and seemingly well-appointed, at least the reception areas gave very self-confident impression. This was not misplaced as apparently these are amongst the most prestigious of independent schools in the city. It seems neither of these institutions have subsided places for the poor but the story is not quite that simple. According to Hela, the state runs an additional set of Pilot schools for gifted children with entrance from across the social spectrum and purely based on exam performance and a supplementary entrance test. Hela indicated that the Pilot schools rightly, have a reputation as very demanding even for clever kids, though the curriculum does include art subjects and sport, something for which the public system simple doesnt have the time. Hela informed me that out of loyalty to the public system (within which she taught for 17 years), she didnt send her boy to the pilot school, though he was presented with the opportunity. This point appeared to be an opportune moment to ask about parental choice, an issue apparently close to her heart as she is unhappy with the secondary school that her daughter attends. It would appear that the system functions in the standard form. You are obliged to send your children to the local school and whilst there is a mechanism for appeal, the director has the final say over attendance, so naturally he only chooses the brightest children when faced with an inbox of applicants. Hela also confessed to having circumvented the system at primary level having used her parents address to get her kids into a good institution. All the common loopholes right.

We were pretty much fobbed off at the first school with the Director only agreeing to meet us by appointment and refusing to allow us access to the Teachers on the grounds that there was currently too much institutional instability in the aftermath of the revolution. However, we were met with a far more positive reception at the DAngola school. Whilst we didnt get to meet the Head directly, we were given time with his PA who supplied us with a good deal of information, took our questionnaires and promised a direct meeting with Teachers on Friday morning at 11.30. Despite the apparent privilege associated with this upper-middle class school, it seems appearances are deceptive. According to our informer, this posh institution was perceived as rebellious by the previous regime and Ben Ali was keen to establish a level of greater control over it; a battle he rather surprisingly has lost. We didnt have enough time to go into the nature of its subversive activities, however it seems that it supplemented the central curriculum with additional subjects such as Social Hygiene (which I interpreted as Social Justice), Environmental studies and Technology (including the Internet and Facebook). It also appeared to give relative freedom to the teachers in terms of classroom methods e.g. in languages classes the teacher could choose between communicative or grammar-based (linguistic) approaches to teaching. Hardly radical in broad terms but possibly significant within the local context. Furthermore, rather than use state language material, the school had purchased textbooks directly from country of origin i.e. English Books from Oxford University Press. Seems like a good idea at a superficial level but of course, students can struggle with material that doesnt suit the context of learning. Nonetheless, for an independent school to invest in this way may represent a negative critique of the Tunisia language textbooks. Through Hela, we provided a detailed description of the questionnaires before leaving our charming host to get on with her pressing schedule; a queue had already formed as a consequence of our unexpected arrival.

We departed having made our first kill and feeling much better about the world. Sirene also had a degree of success, the authorities having agreed to let us have access to public secondary schools, though only 5 of the original list of 20. Hardly ideal but thems the rules and Hela suggested that she also could use her connections to get access to other groups of teachers beyond those agreed. Once again, not ideal but you have to work within the given constraints. On the more positive side, I have convinced Hela that despite her reservations and safety concerns, we have to go to the poor districts of Kabaria and Ettadhaman in order to get a representative sample. So Serine has got us a driver and we start at 8am tomorrow with our first public school at El Omrane.