Tunisia: Financial assistance for students who want to study abroad, particularly in Canada, and conditions for obtaining such scholarships; Tunisia's control over those students
According to the Web site of Tunisia's Ministry of Higher Education (ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur), students who want to apply for scholarships to study abroad must have, [translation] "throughout their previous university studies, obtained an average grade above or equal to 11/20 in literature, humanities and social science programs, or 11.5/20 in science and technology programs" (Tunisia n.d.b). However, students who have [translation] "had to repeat more than one course during their university studies are not eligible" (ibid.). The same source indicates that scholarship applications for study abroad are first screened by a pre-selection committee at the candidate's university; the selected students are then evaluated in two steps by the National Foreign Scholarship Commission (Commission nationale des bourses à l'étranger, CNBE) (Tunisia n.d.b).
According to the Web site of the University Mission of Tunisia (Mission universitaire de Tunisia), a governmental organization, in addition to the scholarships, the government offers two other forms of assistance to students who want to study abroad:
[translation]
- University loans
The Ministry of Higher Education grants student loans to Tunisians studying abroad. The amount of the loan is restricted to no more than 3,000 [Tunisian dinars (TND) or CAD 2,533.20 (Canada 11 Sept. 2006)] per year. It is granted according to the funds available and the usual priority criteria (e.g., year of study, grades, parents' income...).
. . .
- Assistance for needy students
This assistance is granted on a case-by-case basis and only in exceptional cases of students with lower socio-economic status who have specific difficulties. (Tunisia 27 Jan. 2006b)
With regard to studying in Canada, the Web site of the University Mission of Tunisia indicates that the Tunisian government processes Tunisian students' applications for scholarships to Canada under the following programs:
[translation]
- Canadian Scholarships Program: This program offers annual scholarships for Master's and Ph.D. programs in priority fields of study. The number of spaces available, the requirements that the candidates must meet and the selection criteria are determined each year by the CNBE. A call for scholarship applications is usually published in March.
. . .
- Canadian Alternating Work-Study Scholarship Program: This program is for students who are enrolled in a doctorate program or who are in the second year of a graduate diploma program [Diplôme d'études approfondies (Université libre de Tunis N.d.a)] at a Tunisian institute of higher education. It finances research trips to a Canadian university of up to six months. This scholarship is contingent upon the agreement of a professor from a Canadian university to host and supervise the candidate. The thesis adviser must also support the application. . . . (Tunisia 27 Jan. 2006a)
The Web site of the University Mission of Tunisia lists certain conditions for obtaining scholarships for study in Canada: scholarship recipients must take courses that will give them 9 to 12 credits per semester so that they can obtain their Master's degree with a thesis within two years; they cannot change discipline or university without authorization from the University Mission; they must maintain an average of 3.2 out of 4.33 (those with a lower average may have their scholarship revoked); all scholarship recipients must return to Tunisia during the summer, unless the University Mission gives them authorization to continue their studies during that time of year (ibid. n.d.c).
Applications to renew a scholarship must be made annually to the University Mission (Tunisia n.d.c). Students who complete their studies must obtain a ticket of final return to their country from the University Mission no later than six months after their scholarship has ended; otherwise, students will lose their right to obtain their ticket of final return from the Mission (ibid.).
A representative of the Tunisian Consulate in Montreal provided the following information during an 18 September 2006 telephone interview. There is no control over the scholarship recipients who are studying in Canada and the only conditions imposed on them are academic. Some students who do not have access to government scholarships apply directly to Canadian universities for admission. If a Canadian university accepts a Tunisian student and he or she has the required visa and financial resources to study abroad, the student is free to do so. The Tunisian government does not impose any conditions on those students, other than having their papers in order. This information could not be corroborated by the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints for this Response.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Tunisia. 18 September 2006. Tunisian Consulate in Montreal. Telephone interview with a representative.
_____. 27 January 2006a. Mission universitaire de Tunisie. "Bourses." <http://www.mutan.org/bourses.htm> [Accessed 8 Sept. 2006]
_____. 27 January 2006b. Mission universitaire de Tunisie. "Formation en Amérique du Nord." <http://www.mutan.org/formation.htm> [Accessed 8 Sept. 2006]
_____. N.d.a. Université libre de Tunis. "Diplômes préparés." <http://www.ult.ens.tn/ult/site/article.php?t=141&a=222&> [Accessed 11 Sept. 2006]
_____. N.d.b. Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur. "Affaires estudiantines." <http://www.universites.tn/univ_centre/mediahtml/service_estu.htm> [Accessed 11 Sept. 2006]
_____. N.d.c. Mission universitaire de Tunisie. "Information aux boursiers." <http://www.mutan.org/infoboursier.htm> [Accessed 8 Sept. 2006]