TUNISIA: Universities celebrate 50th anniversary

Tunisians have been marking the first half century of the country's university system with speeches, scientific, cultural and sporting events - and a conference on higher education and edification of the knowledge society. Meanwhile, Tunisia's Virtual University is looking to the future development of distance education.

In his anniversary message, President Ben Ali said the new republic and the creation of the university 50 years ago were "the incarnation of the hopes of the Tunisian people and their thirst for development, modernity, science and knowledge, and the natural continuation of Tunisia's role since most ancient times as a high point of civilisation".

The country had continued in its belief that expertise in modern science and new technologies was the way forward, and had determined to follow a global reform for the university system, said the President. This had "enriched teaching methods and university management" and opened a vast space "to serve the aspirations of our science students".

The conference in Kram was attended by pioneers of the country's higher education system, and marked its origins dating back to the early 1960s when it faced the major challenge of training a workforce to help rebuild and modernise society, reported La Presse of Tunis.

Objectives were to organise the higher education system successfully, develop scientific research and teach skills in languages, science, culture and arts. Speakers recounted the problems at the start, such as the lack of engineers until the first graduates trained in France arrived to start construction of the country and the economy.

Looking ahead, the Virtual University of Tunis (UVT) - which has so far developed 364 course modules, 300 of them digital - is now planning to extend its distance activities, reported Tunisia Online of Tunis.

The UVT, which started operations in January 2002, is working to update the country's higher education system by integrating digital technologies and extending university courses to a wider public, outside the student sphere, said Tunisia Online. To do this UVT will train teachers and technicians, produce digital educational programmes and provide distance learning activities. It will also seek to develop partnerships with foreign universities.

UVT also has an ambitious project for a university trainers' programme, said Tunisia Online. This is to develop interactive digital courses, and skills in distance teaching and student supervision.
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