North-South issues in educational reform – a Tunisian case-study

Abstract

Since January 1997 the department for intercultural and Mediterranean projects (InterMed) of the Council for International Educational Exchange (CIEE, Paris) has been in charge of a framework program on EuroMediterranean exchanges in the field of education, vocational training, and intercultural communication which is supported by the European Cultural Foundation in Amsterdam. The projects that are developed in this context are a follow-up and conceptual transfer of similar projects which we have carried out in a European context (Baumgratz-Gangl, 1992; Baumgratz, 1993, 1995). They aim at introducing a cultural dimension in development policy and in technical cooperation for development in the field of education and vocational training. By analyzing the cultural implications of technical cooperation for development in the field of education and vocational education and training (VET) between Europe and the Southern Mediterranean, and, more specifically, the cultural dimension of system transfer and the application of pedagogical approaches between the North and the South, we wish to create an awareness regarding the central role of cultural factors in cross-cultural cooperation for development. As the World Commission on Culture and Development (UNESCO, 1996, p. 168) has pointed out: ( ... ) cultural tolerance is not based only on a passive acceptance of the right of other cultural groups ( ... ) but implies ( ... ) an active and empathetic knowledge of those cultures resulting in mutual respect and understanding. This recognition is in part a result of economic globalization. Deeper cross-border economic contacts, multilateral trade alliances as well as emerging markets ... are imposing a new awareness for the diversity of cultures and intercultural dependence. Transaction practices, for example, vary greatly depending on the regions, from traditions of written contracts to traditions of negotiated oral agreements. C ... ) Mutual respect, understanding and sensitivity for local customs is a precondition to working together.