Arab Educational Information Network

The country of Tunisia experienced intense uprisings and massive civil resistance that were termed the Arab Spring of 2010. The riots stemmed from a desire to topple government rulers who were blamed for the high unemployment, poverty, regional inequalities, and general political unrest within the country. In a quest for relief and prosperity, eyes are turning toward finding new alternatives that could solve the country's current problems. The American community college model is among the responses suggested to be tested, tried, and possibly followed. It is the community college's vocational aspects and its ties to business and industry that hold promise of contributing to relief of Tunisia's current difficult situation. In this chapter, the authors begin with a brief history of the country to better understand the current economic, political, and educational situation in Tunisia. They also provide background on geography, demographics, and the current political and economic situation, as well as a thorough description of the country's educational system. Finally, they describe a project to bring the community college to the country with the hopes and expectations that it can be a harbinger of friendship, peace, and stability. Tunisia is presented as a pilot example of using the community college model to bring economic development and hope that may be successfully replicated elsewhere. (Contains 1 table and 3 notes.) (ERIC: ERIC)