Lecture: Language Policy Issues in Tunisia: Mismatch between Local Needs and Central Decisions

Language policies in Tunisia seem to be top-down policies where policy makers or central agents make decisions. Then, they transfer the decisions to universities and schools to apply them. This indicates that language policy is carried out by central agents and they, therefore, accommodate the macro policy goals. This study points to the mismatch between central and local agents and argues for agency and its role in the creation and implementation of language policies. In this regard, Johnson and Johnson (2015) argue that post-modern approaches highlight the role of agency in implementing language policies. The aim of this study is to foster social justice in creating language policies in the Tunisian higher education context by the implementation of post-modernism as a theoretical framework. Post-modernism encourages multilingualism in taking decisions. This study calls for rethinking about the needs of students and instructional language policy in higher education and voicing their views. Post-modernism shows that language policy needs to be developed in consultation with and have the commitment of those working most closely with the students (‘Bottom up’) (Baldauf, 1997, p. 4). The study starts by giving an overview of the language policies background in Tunisian higher education. Then, it points to the different issues, such as the absence of justice in taking the views of local agents. After that, it presents the theoretical framework: the principles of post-modernism. The discussion moves to explore the role of agency in the creation of local language education policies that meet local demands and needs. Methodologically, the study relies on the results of an interview to present the voice of local stakeholders. This study calls for a shift from the authoritative top-down processes to the implementation at the micro-level and it aims to create a connection between the macro-level and the meso-level policies.

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Day: 2023-05-26
Start time: 15:50
Duration: 00:30
Room: SH 3.103
Track: Applied Linguistics

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