The Underground Market of Private Tutoring in Tunisia: A Growing Concern Ahead of the Baccalaureate Exams
As the baccalaureate exams approach, a well-known phenomenon in Tunisian families is experiencing a resurgence: the underground market of private tutoring. Year after year, this informal economy of education has become an inescapable reality, with many parents considering it a necessary step towards academic success.
Despite being regulated by a government decree (No. 2015-1619 of October 30, 2015), which sets the conditions for organizing support lessons and private tutoring within public educational institutions, the practice remains largely unregulated. Parents and teachers now prefer private tutoring sessions at home or in private spaces, evading administrative control.
This gradual shift towards a parallel system has given rise to a thriving informal market of education, where prices are driven by supply and demand, particularly in the lead-up to exams. In recent weeks, prices for certain subjects have skyrocketed, driven by increasing demand. Some teachers are now demanding upfront payment, transforming these sessions into a lucrative business during the revision period.
For Tunisian families, the financial burden is becoming increasingly heavy. Prices vary depending on the level of education, subject, and format (individual sessions at home or group sessions in private centers). On average, parents spend between 80 and 200 dinars per month per subject. However, for baccalaureate candidates, costs explode during the intensive revision period, with budgets reaching up to 2,000 dinars per month, a significant amount in the current economic context.
This financial pressure comes at a time when family budgets are still recovering from the expenses of the Ramadan month. Adding to this are the preparations for Eid El-Idha, marked by a general price surge. In this tense social climate, private tutoring is further burdening households, exacerbating feelings of economic exhaustion and social injustice.
Over time, this practice has become a quasi-structural component of the Tunisian education system, resembling a "silent infection" spreading within the public school system, comparable to a "nosocomial disease" in the healthcare domain: a phenomenon born within the system itself, ultimately weakening it from within.
This crisis is not a sudden phenomenon but the result of a long process of drifts, with no effective response. For several years, the massive recourse to private tutoring has become normalized, fueled by an increasing obsession with academic results and success. For many parents, school is no longer sufficient; private lessons become an additional guarantee or even a psychological necessity.
Reducing responsibility to the sole greed of some teachers would be a simplistic reading of the problem. Parents themselves often contribute to this system, driven by fear of failure and an increasingly fierce academic competition. Some even seek individual sessions for their children, convinced that this is the only path to excellence.
However, the primary responsibility lies with the Ministry of Education. Overly burdensome school programs, overcrowded classes, a lack of pedagogical resources, and inadequate monitoring mechanisms have contributed to weakening the public education system and opening the door to the parallel sector. The policy based on threats of sanctions and repressive measures has yet to produce any tangible results.
The private tutoring issue now goes beyond a simple pedagogical question, directly affecting equality of opportunities and the future of Tunisia's public education system. As long as academic success depends on family financial capabilities, inequalities will continue to deepen between students.
In light of this reality, a comprehensive and concerted approach is necessary. The Ministry, teachers, parents, and civil society actors must be involved in a deep reflection on how to restore confidence in the public education system, alleviate pressure on families, and ensure equal opportunities for all students, beyond the logic of the "black market" of education.
