Pre-service training for EFL teachers in Tunisia : a needs analysis

Abstract

Tunisia is classified by the World Bank (1998) as a 'middle-income' developing country, but it spends 30% of the national budget or 5.6% of its GNP on education. The Tunisian educational system, however, has not delivered the expected results or met many of the socio-economic challenges. It is clear that the effort to remedy for the most obvious deficiencies has been sustained, but policy makers need to deal with more complex realities and rapidly changing situations. Success is so far limited at best, and attempts to reform the system have become a sign ofthe times. Teacher education, the focus of this chapter, embodies one of the system's priorities and typically illustrates the growing need for change and efficiency. In what follows, pre-service training for EFL teachers will be examined against a backdrop of the socio-economic variables shaping our educational policies. A close fit between the newly implemented measures and the protagonists' needs would be a clear indication that the system is likely to deliver more tangible results.