Survey results delivered on ethics in Tunisian higher education

The results of a national survey on ethics and values, their practice and culture, in the university landscape of Tunisia have been delivered. Conducted by the Globethics Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Centre in Tunis, the findings were presented at an event on 14 February 2024 organised in collabroation with the Centre d'études et de recherches économiques et sociales (CERES), on its premises.

Just seven months after its launch, the Globethics MENA Centre, headed by former minister Kamel Ayadi, delivered the results of a major study - the first of its kind - on the place of ethics in culture and teaching in higher education establishments in Tunisia.

Based on a nationwide survey using a 35-question questionnaire covering all aspects of ethics and values, the study provides a comprehensive overview of the state of ethics in the Tunisian university landscape.

The study does not just assess ethics as a teaching subject, but also as institutional culture and practice. The indicators provide statistics on the most recurrent ethical incidents in the academic world, including plagiarism, fraud, conflicts of interest, favouritism, and cases of corruption. The questionnaire was sent to 300 public and private higher education institutions.

Globethics Executive Director Fadi Daou joined the team in Tunis for the launch of the survey findings at CERES. Dynamic discussion between academics, ethicists, and ethics practitioners about the results, which showed both the gaps and the openness of the institutions to develop their capacities in the field of ethics in higher education, was a highlight of the study launch.

Looking forward, Globethics plans for this pioneering initiative to be expanded to other countries in the region and followed by further activities, in particular a training workshop for trainers to provide support for individual and institutional capacity development.

Yosra Ben Ameur Garna speaking at the Tunis event

The survey launch event also included the presentation of the latest Globethics Publication, the Doctoral thesis of legal expert Yosra Ben Ameur Garna. Essai sur la relation entre l’éthique et le droit des affaires explores the relationship between ethics and business law, offering an analytical presentation of various concepts in a fine balance between two logically intersecting semantic fields. This work was carried out in collaboration with the Faculté de Droit et des Sciences politiques de Sousse (F.D.S.P.S.) in Tunisia and the Université Sorbonne Paris-Nord in France.

In the media, in French and Arabic

The higher education ethics survey launch was featured widely in the Tunisian media: