Rethinking Civic Education in Tunisia: a Focus on School Curricula and Teacher Training

Abstract

The paper explores the status of civic education in Tunisian public schools. It calls for seizing the opportunities offered by Tunisia’s transition to democracy to improve the teaching and learning of civic education. Before 2011, the Tunisian educational system was not very concerned with raising young generations on the principles and values of civic engagement, participatory citizenship, democratic participation, and social justice. Decision makers did not seem to be aware of the opportunities that young generations may enjoy inside and outside the classroom to learn about these values, and to be more actively committed to other issues, such as human rights, economic development, and the rule of law. However, the Tunisian youth have always used modern technology to keep updated about National and world affairs, and the recent huge developments in the domains of social media and citizen journalism have deepened their awareness about the lack of social justice and human rights in the country. The paper focuses on the importance of civic education in the Tunisian educational system to critically reconsider its potential role in educating the young generations on the values and principles of democracy. This is achieved through a review of two major components of the teaching/learning of civic education, namely how the subject is being taught and how the teachers are being prepared.