International Organization for the Protection of Mediterranean Children Calls for Enhanced Oversight of Foreign Schools in Tunisia
May 4, 2026
The International Organization for the Protection of Mediterranean Children has called for intensified pedagogical and administrative control over all foreign schools operating in Tunisia. In a statement released on Monday, the organization recommended that these schools integrate a portion of the national curriculum to ensure a minimum level of educational coherence.
According to an official communiqué published by the Tunisian news agency TAP, the organization advocated for the implementation of regular and unannounced inspection visits to verify the accuracy of the content being taught. This call to action comes in response to an incident that occurred at a French school in Sfax, where a text titled "La Violence et la Lumière" (Violence and Light) was allegedly presented to 7th-grade students.
The organization claims that this French content "encourages atheism, deviance, and parental disobedience, while portraying those who engage in such behavior as enlightened heroes." In light of this incident, the organization emphasized the need to "ensure that parents have the right to consult educational content and extracurricular activities" within these institutions.
The organization also called for the establishment of a clear legal framework defining the limits of pedagogical freedom for these schools, in order to preserve the identity and values of Tunisian society. A formal request for clarification was sent to the French embassy, highlighting the gravity of the situation.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Education is urged to "assume full responsibility for protecting youth from any form of intellectual or cultural influence that is inappropriate," and to bring these institutions back under state surveillance.
The International Organization for the Protection of Mediterranean Children stressed that "opening up to foreign languages and cultures should not come at the expense of fundamental Tunisian values." The organization noted that these institutions, which were once beacons of knowledge and formed generations of Tunisian leaders with curricula similar to national methods, have strayed from their original mission and become more commercial than educational in nature.
