A financing agreement worth 96.1 million euros (around 315 million dinars) was signed between Tunisia and the World Bank on Saturday April 20 in Washington. The financial commitment, signed by Minister of the Economy and Planning, Samir Abdelhafidh, and the World Bank’s Country Director for Tunisia, Alexandre Arrobbio, is part of the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings.
The 28-year loan, with an 8-year grace period, is intended to finance the “Strengthening Higher Education for Employment, Innovation and Resilience” (STEEIR) project.
This ambitious program pursues several strategic objectives to modernize the Tunisian university system. On the one hand, it aims to improve the quality of applied research and modernize academic infrastructures. Secondly, the project aims to strengthen the governance of higher education establishments while developing more efficient university services. Finally, particular attention will be paid to increasing enrolment in fields of study with high employability potential, to better meet the needs of the job market.
The Tunisian authorities and the World Bank are counting on significant medium- and long-term benefits. The project should significantly improve employment prospects for graduates, while strengthening the resilience of the education system in the face of economic challenges.
The initiative is also in line with national priorities to reform higher education and combat youth unemployment. The Minister underlined the importance of this funding, which “consolidates the government’s efforts to adapt our education system to the demands of the job market”. For its part, the World Bank sees this investment as an essential lever for supporting Tunisia’s economic and social development.
TunisianMonitorOnline (NejiMed)
