The collapse of societal values, school dropout, failing education system, lack of national strategy and others, are the causes, but also the consequences, which could explain an alarming figure unveiled recently. The general illiteracy rate in Tunisia is estimated at around 17.7%, which is equivalent to around two million illiterates. In any case, this was confirmed by the Minister of Social Affairs, Malek Zahi, during a ceremony to celebrate Arab Literacy Day.
In a country which has, thanks to the vision of former President Bourguiba, imposed compulsory education on its population for several decades, we, unfortunately, find ourselves today with a sad reality that says a lot about the collapse in the Tunisian education system, reform, national action, and short and long-term strategies have become essential.
However, even if it remains significant, the illiteracy rate in Tunisia has fallen from 18.1% in 2018 to 17.7% currently. According to figures from the National Institute of Statistics, the illiteracy rate among women and men in communal areas reached 12.9%, while it increased to 29.5% in non-communal areas. The illiteracy rate declines as the average age decrease, reaching 2.8% for groups aged 10-14, while it reaches 79.8% for the elderly (80 years and over).
Still, according to the same source, the region of Jendouba is leading the illiteracy rate reaching 31.6%, followed by Kasserine with 30.2%, then Siliana with 29.7%. In contrast, Ben Arous is the region with the lowest illiteracy rate, reaching 9.7%, followed by the governorate of Tunis, 10.1%, and Monastir with 10.5%.
According to Uneso, “an illiterate person is a person unable to read and write, understanding it, a brief and simple statement of facts relating to everyday life”. Literacy is therefore distinguished from illiteracy which is the situation of those who have been taught to read and write, but who do not master its use.
The causes
In Tunisia, if this phenomenon is a source of concern especially for the elderly because they will be dependent on those around them, the problem of illiteracy in an individual is explained by various causes which are generally linked to each other. Together, they create a series of often insurmountable obstacles for the person concerned, which impairs their literacy and communication with the outside world.
As a result, the problem is mainly explained by reasons of low education, especially in rural areas. For example, a person born in an underprivileged environment to parents with little education is more likely to be illiterate or to experience great learning difficulties, which is what sociologists call the intergenerational transmission of illiteracy.
Difficult living conditions and poverty, failure and dropping out of school, many not having completed secondary school, learning disabilities such as dyslexia, difficult access to schools, were all factors. which could accentuate this phenomenon, the extent of which can be measured in the long term.
In our country, the worrying phenomenon of dropping out of school is, in fact, driving the point home. Over 100,000 students drop out of school each year. Only 60 to 70% of dropouts join a complementary educational or professional course, while the remaining 30,000 young people do not benefit from a “second chance”. It is a social time bomb, alarm specialists and sociologists, especially since second chance schools are only a concept still emerging in Tunisia and will in no way be able to remedy the situation.
If it is urgent, today, to reform public schools, moreover the President of the Republic Kaïs Saïed has made it a priority, in order to be able to offer a better education to our children and young people, it is also essential to take care of illiterate elderly people. For the Minister of Social Affairs, the State is committed to setting up by 2030 a system of education and learning “throughout life and which is fair and available to all”.
Electronic illiteracy or digital illiteracy
Nowadays, it is clear that illiteracy is taking new forms. Today we speak of digital illiteracy or even illiteracy which can be defined by the phenomenon of total loss or simply by gaps in the fundamental knowledge of the digital sphere (use of the Internet, word processing, etc.).
With the national e-consultation which will start on January 15, this problem really arises. While figures and statistics concerning this phenomenon are still lacking in Tunisia, the problem is accentuated by the digital infrastructure which marks great regional inequalities. Also, since most digital content is in written form, its assimilation is complicated for those who do not master the basic foundations of reading, writing, or arithmetic.
Hence the combination of these two handicaps, which can cause reluctance to face digital culture, especially for the elderly.
