Tunisia's Education Ministry Budget Surpasses 9 Billion Dinars for 2027

Tunisia's Minister of Education, Noureddine Nouri, presented the 2027 budget for his department, which has reached a historic high of 9.184 billion dinars, up from 8.7 billion dinars in 2026. This represents a 5.56% increase and marks the first time the budget has surpassed the 9 billion dinar threshold. The education sector's budget now accounts for 13.3% of the state's overall budget.

The education ministry's budget has seen significant growth over the years, with a 41% increase in resources allocated to education between 2020 and 2027. The majority of the budget, approximately 90%, will go towards the ministry's workforce, which consists of 215,503 agents. The budget for salaries will increase by over 585 million dinars in 2027 to cover financial revaluations and the recruitment of 5,855 new agents.

The sectoral distribution of the budget shows that the preparatory and secondary education program will receive around 4.898 billion dinars, while primary education will receive 3.437 billion dinars. The focus is on the gradual generalization of the preparatory year and the implementation of the "second chance" program to combat school dropout rates. An antenna of this program will be opened in the governorate of Mahdia.

For the upcoming school year, nine new establishments will be added to the education network, including six colleges and three high schools located in the governorates of Nabeul, Beja, and Bizerte. This will bring the total number of schools to 4,604 primary schools and 1,576 colleges and high schools, serving over 1.14 million students.

Despite the increased budget, Minister Noureddine Nouri acknowledged that significant structural challenges persist, including overcrowded classrooms, territorial disparities, and teacher shortages in certain specialties. He committed to continuing the modernization of infrastructure and evaluation methods.

The budget also allocates 410 million dinars for the maintenance and renovation of educational structures. The minister emphasized the importance of addressing the existing challenges to improve the quality of education in Tunisia.

The increased budget for education reflects the government's commitment to improving the sector, but it remains to be seen whether the allocated funds will be sufficient to address the significant challenges facing the education system.

Key points

• The education ministry's budget for 2027 is 9.184 billion dinars, a 5.56% increase from 2026.
• The budget for salaries will increase by over 585 million dinars in 2027 to cover financial revaluations and the recruitment of 5,855 new agents.
• Nine new educational establishments will be added to the network for the upcoming school year, including six colleges and three high schools.