1 Overview of the strategy for the quality of human resources in the education system of Tunisia Mustapha Ennaïfar December 2007

2 1.Overview of the job market in the education sector 2.1.Levers of a scientific kind 2.2.Levers of a managerial kind 2.3.Levers of a financial kind 3. Outcomes 4.Obstacles and areas of resistance 5. Alternative solutions 1. Overview of the job market in the education sector: An example: recruitment of teachers for middle and high schools.  The supply of jobs by the State is approximately 3,000 posts per year.  The demand for posts is overwhelmingly high: 60,000 holders of masters degrees were candidates in the last competitive examination (2007).  The supply of posts represents about 5% of demand and the relation between supply and demand is about 1 to 20. Three conclusions :  The teaching profession in the public sector remains attractive.  There is a large supply of holders of masters degrees seeking employment.  The State can afford to be more stringent in its recruitment process to ensure better quality of teachers.

3 2. Levers to improve the quality of human resources in the education sector

4 1.Overview of the job market in the education sector 2. Levers to improve quality 2.1.Levers of a scientific kind 2.2.Levers of a managerial kind 2.3.Levers of a financial kind 3. Outcomes 4.Obstacles and areas of resistance 5.Alternative solutions 1st Lever: Raising the minimum scientific level required to enter the teaching profession. Example: the recruitment of teachers for primary schools. In the last 50 years, we have moved from Bac -1 or -2 to:  Bac + 2 in 1991 and  Bac + 3 (degree) + 2 semesters of professional training in Levers of a scientific kind:

5 1.Overview of the job market in the education sector 2. Levers to improve quality 2.1.Levers of a scientific kind 2.2.Levers of a managerial kind 2.3.Levers of a financial kind 3. Outcomes 4.Obstacles and areas of resistance 5. Alternative solutions 2.1. Levers of a scientific kind: 2 nd Lever: Establishment of a competitive examination to select candidates for training and recruitment Examples:  admission to a training cycle for primary teaching: Score obtained in the Bac and ranking (pre-2007); Bachelors Degree and ranking (from 2007).  admission to a training cycle for secondary teaching: competitive examination (CAPES, a diploma in secondary school teaching).  admission to a training cycle to become an inspector of schools: competitive examination and ranking

6 1.Overview of the job market in the education sector 2. Levers to improve quality 2.1.Levers of a scientific kind 2.2.Levers of a managerial kind 2.3.Levers of a financial kind 3. Outcomes 4.Obstacles and areas of resistance 5. Alternative solutions 2.1. Levers of a scientific kind: 3rd lever: Establishment of initial professional training cycles:  For primary education: 2 semesters  For secondary education: 3 semesters  For the inspectorate: 3 semesters  Principal of a primary school: 1 semester  Principal of a secondary school: 2 semesters

7 1.Overview of the job market in the education sector 2. Levers to improve quality 2.1.Levers of a scientific kind 2.2.Levers of a managerial kind 2.3.Levers of a financial kind 3. Outcomes 4.Obstacles and areas of resistance 5. Alternative solutions 2.1. Levers of a scientific kind: 4th lever: Compulsory participation in in-service training Extract from the Planning Law of 2002, article 46: "All members of the educational and administrative staff shall be compelled to undergo, throughout their career, in-service training… "

8 1.Overview of the job market in the education sector 2. Levers to improve quality 2.1.Levers of a scientific kind 2.2.Levers of a managerial kind 2.3.Levers of a financial kind 3. Outcomes 4.Obstacles and areas of resistance 5. Alternative solutions 2.1. Levers of a scientific kind: 5th lever: Promotion to a higher grade after obtaining a university degree. Example: creation of the grade of professeur des écoles (school teacher) for the primary school teacher who obtains a master’s degree.

9 1.Overview of the job market in the education sector 2. Levers to improve quality 2.1.Levers of a scientific kind 2.2.Levers of a managerial kind 2.3.Levers of a financial kind 3. Outcomes 4.Obstacles and areas of resistance 5. Alternative solutions 2.1. Levers of a scientific kind: 6th lever: Promotion to a higher grade as a result of an accumulation of scores based on length of service, pedagogical evaluation, pedagogical products and university degree. Example: promotion from senior teacher to senior teacher outside the classroom

10 1.Overview of the job market in the education sector 2.Levers to improve quality 2.1.Levers of a scientific kind 2.2.Levers of a managerial kind 2.3.Levers of a financial kind 3. Outcomes 4.Obstacles and areas of resistance 5. Alternative solutions 2.1. Levers of a scientific kind: 7th lever: Increase in school inspection frequency resulting from an increased number of inspectors (1 inspector for 100 teachers). Example: in primary education, a teacher is inspected at least once every two years.

11 1.Survey of the job market in the education sector 2.Levers to improve quality 2.1.Levers of a scientific kind 2.2.Levers of a managerial kind 2.3.Levers of a financial kind 3. Outcomes 4.Obstacles and areas of resistance 5. Alternative solutions 2.2. Levers of a managerial kind: Establishing participatory management of schools:  By means of a Governing Board which develops a school project: in which the representatives of the educational community participate.  By means of an Educational Advisory Board: in which the representatives of the teaching staff participate.

12 1.Survey of the job market in the education sector 2. Levers to improve quality 2.1.Levers of a scientific kind 2.2.Levers of a managerial kind 2.3.Levers of a financial kind 3. Outcomes 4.Obstacles and areas of resistance 5. Alternative solutions 2.2.Levers of a managerial kind: Development of the possibilities for promotion through an increased number of intermediate grades:  Example in the secondary education sector: three successive grades for a holder of a masters degree.

13 1.Survey of the job market in the education sector 2.Levers to improve quality 2.1.Levers of a scientific kind 2.2.Levers of a managerial kind 2.3.Levers of a financial kind 3. Outcomes 4.Obstacles and areas of resistance 5. Alternative solutions 2.3. Levers of a financial kind: Periodic salary increases In the case of the teacher, resulting from:  grade related to increase in salary;  the annual increase in salaries in the civil service;  the increase in salary related to the promotion to a higher grade. In addition, the teacher can teach extra hours (overtime) in the institution where he is employed or in the private sector when authorized to do so.

14 1.Survey of the job market in the education sector 2.Levers to improve quality 2.1.Levers of a scientific kind 2.2.Levers of a managerial kind 2.3.Levers of a financial kind 3. Outcomes 4.Obstacles and areas of resistance 5. Alternative solutions 3. Outcomes: A developing professionalism among the staff as a whole; a significant margin of progress. annual summaries of inspection reports; Sources: - annual summaries of inspection reports; - national examinations; - national examinations; - national and international evaluations. - national and international evaluations. General comments: - - concerning teachers: in generalsatisfactory competence in the subject matter; - in general, satisfactory competence in the subject matter; - inadequate competence in teaching methods; - inadequate competence in teaching methods; - culture of training and evaluation already existing but in - culture of training and evaluation already existing but in need of consolidation; - need to activate initiative and commitment; - need to activate initiative and commitment; - need to reinforce professional code of ethics and - need to reinforce professional code of ethics andaccountability.

15 1.Survey of the job market in the education sector 2.Levers to improve quality 2.1.Levers of a scientific kind 2.2.Levers of a managerial kind 2.3.Levers of a financial kind 3. Outcomes 4.Obstacles and areas of resistance 5. Alternative solutions 4. Obstacles and areas of resistance: The education sector in Tunisia has a diversified mechanism available to assist in the improvement of the quality of human resources but the effectiveness of this mechanism is hindered by a number of obstacles:  difficulty in establishing participatory management of educational institutions:  Trade union resistance to some reforms;  Inappropriate communication strategy.  corporate characteristics difficult to challenge:  e.g.1: the timetable required by the teacher includes only teaching hours, not the other activities (consultation, training, etc,) related to teaching.  e.g.2: promotion is insufficiently linked to training.  the efforts and effectiveness of the teacher are not taken into account in the area of remuneration and are insufficiently taken into account in the area of promotion.

16 1.Survey of the job market in the education sector 2.Levers to improve quality 2.1.Levers of a scientific kind 2.2.Levers of a managerial kind 2.3.Levers of a financial kind 3. Outcomes 4.Obstacles and areas of resistance 5. Alternative solutions 5. Alternative solutions:  Strengthen the policy of positive discrimination in the area of the sharing or treatment of human resources to the advantage of selected regions or selected educational institutions.  Ensure greater support to trade unions during reforms.  Redefine a number of professional duties: e.g. What services are required by the teacher?  Provide certification for training courses undertaken during a professional career and reinforce the links between training and promotion.  Strengthen the relationship between performance and salary.  Reinforce the professional code of ethics for all staff in general.