sAGESSE: Supporting the reform of Higher Education in Tunisia

How to support managerial and academic staff of the universities in developing skills about governance and quality assessment?

The Kick-Off Meeting of project sAGESSE – Improving Governance in the Higher Education system in Tunisia was held in Tunis from the 9^th to the 11^th January 2018.

sAGESSE aims to support the process of reform and modernisation undertaken by the Higher Education Institutions of Tunisia in connection with the post revolution national change, by means of:

• the improvement of the governance mechanisms;
• the elaboration of new procedures for financial management;
• the implementation of the quality assurance and control systems within the Higher Education Institutions;
• the knowledge and tools enhancement for management, administrative and academic staff.

During the meeting the member of the Consortium – comprising 4 European universities, 13 Tunisian universities, CESIE and UNIMED – presented a description of their experience, shared common visions about the project and defined the working methodology and the management mechanisms to be adopted, as well as their commitments and activities to be performed over the next years, in particular:

• A state-of-art analysis of the governance framework in Tunisia;
• Training of the trainers of the staff responsible for quality assurance and strategic planning;
• Training of the staff responsible for financial management;
• Modernising the system for information and communication;
• Development of e-administration;
• Handbook of Quality Assurance for financial management procedures;
• Creation and implementation of Action Plans for each Higher Education Institution;
• Recommendations for a better autonomy of universities.

sAGESSE is a project funded within the Erasmus+, Capacity Building in the field of higher education. Capacity-building Projects are transnational cooperation projects based on multilateral partnerships, primarily between higher education institutions (HEIs) from Programme and eligible Partner Countries.

The experience of European partner will be of paramount importance from the earliest stages of activities. The presence in the Consortium of the Tunisian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and of the National Authority for Evaluation, Quality Assurance and Accreditation is particularly significant: they see in the project an important instrument supporting the policies of modernization of the education system in response national and international changes.

The sAGESSE partnership holds together 21 organisations:

• UNIMED (Italy, coordination);
• University of Siena (Italy);
• University of Roma “La Sapienza” (Italy);
• University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Francia);
• University of Barcellona (Spain);
• University of Tunisi (Tunisia);
• University of Tunisi El Manar (Tunisia);
• University of Cartagine (Tunisia);
• University of Susa (Tunisia);
• University of Sfax (Tunisia);
• University of Gabès (Tunisia);
• University of Manouba (Tunisia);
• University of Monastir (Tunisia);
• Virtual University of Tunisi (Tunisia);
• University of Kairouan (Tunisia);
• University of Gafsa (Tunisia);
• University of Jendouba (Tunisia);
• University Ez-zitouna (Tunisia);
• Ministry for Higher Education and Scientific Research (Tunisia);
• National Body for Evaluation, Quality Assurance and Accreditation (Tunisia);
• CESIE (Italia).

For further information, please contact Alessia Valenti, alessia.valenti@cesie.org.