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STUDY ABROAD OPTIONS
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US educationalist Bonnie Bracey visited Tunisia recently and sent this account of internet developments there. Tunisia is one of the most modern countries in North Africa, and it has a strong economy. Green forests in the north. Lively beaches along the coast. Sahara in the south. All well connected by taxis, buses, trains and air planes. Below is a web site with a map and all kinds of incredible pictures to tempt you to explore the country in a virtual way . .. STARWARS -The Phantom Menace was filmed here. (So you may have been to Tunisia if only for the scenery).. I have been learning about Tunisia for some time. Most of what I knew about Tunisia came from a very personal source, my correspondence with a student friend, Michael Delp. His family lived in Tunisia. I have wonderful letters describing the archaeology, as well their life in Tunisia. He also sent me letters about trips they took to various parts of Tunisia and described his favorite food, the Brik. I attended the "Fete Tunisienne d’Internet " and presented because I was interested in learning more about how Tunisians are using technology. In particular, q fascinating project shared at the ISOC Conference on e-commerce security and payment systems issues. E-Dinar shows how without the use of regular credit cards, e-commerce was initiated through Tunisia..A full account can be found on http://www.ati.tn: E-Dinar - the experience of Tunisia,by Lamia Chaffai, Manager, E-commerce Department, Tunisian Internet Agency (ATI), Tunisia ( lamia@ati.tn) As the article on the site says:"Lancement de la monnaie électronique e-Dinar La Chambre des Députés adopte le projet de loi sur le commerce électronique Près d’un demi million d’accés sur le site des résultats de l’examen du Baccalauréat 2000, Plus de 250.000 internautes en Tunisie Nouvelle grille tarifaire pour la connexion et l’abonnement à l’Internet." Tunisia also has one of my favorite projects which is a traveling vehicle that I call Cyber Ed. This was a project I did with the help of others in the United States. It is a mobile modern vehicle with internet connectivity that travels the country to share and educate the citizens. Just as the internet transformed communication and scientific research in the last decade, it is presently changing commerce, education and social exchange all over the world. The Internet Society has helped train many of the key information technology leaders around the world. There were officials from the Internet Society participating in the Conference as well George Sandowsky , Jean-Claude Guédon and Claudine Maxwell, represented the Internet Society attended and presented for ISOC. More importantly, they were involved in high level meetings and information exchange. >From Tunis to Hanoi; Bamako to Bhubaneswar, ISOC’s regional training workshops have brought the expertise of internet professionals from to countries and regions around the world in the early stages of internet infrastructure development. The Internet officials were involved in the conference, but also meeting and participating in the many activities that were a part of of this Internet week away from the conference. Since the launch of the program by Jacques Guidon after INET’96 in Montreal, a large number of individuals have benefited from the training provided by these workshops and have gone on to play a significant role in the growth of the Internet in countries that have developed their Internet connections within the last five years. The conference was one of many activities scheduled during the internet Week so there were guests from many places, and involvement of stakeholders from every sector of government, regional representation from other countries in Africa, and there was participation of businesses from the private sector. Another ISOC consultant for developing countries also gave a presentation. Madanmohan Rao, Group Consultant, Microland, India madanr@microland.net shared some of the project work in India, with some ideas for transforming business practice to benefit the country. The first day we went to visit a huge technology park. We met with the Minister of Technology, and wandered the building and learned about the projects. Last year, in suburban Tunis, the government launched a communication technology park. Six firms are already involved, including start-ups. In order to maintain a skilled labor pool, the Tunis Higher Commercial Studies Institute has established a teaching cycle in information technologies and e-commerce. We visited some Internet start-ups. The internet projects were in incubator stages. The people with ideas get support, funding and teams to work with. A large-scale effort is underway to quickly connect businesses as well as education and research establishments to the Internet. As the complex problems of urban governance grow ever more pressing, the challenges a country faces may be tackled more effectively through partnerships with the private sector, governmental and non-governmental organizations like the Internet Society, educational institutions and citizens. Tunisia has strived to create these networks. The establishment of six new private internet service providers was recently announced in Tunisia. Secondary schools, universities, research institutions and medical centers are already connected to the world wide web. Work has begun to connect all primary schools to the internet. Tunisia has always placed great value on education. The country’s annual budget generally allocates more than 20 percent of the Government operating budget for primary and secondary education, a figure that is among the highest in the world. Education in Tunisia is free and accessible to everyone. Furthermore, schooling is compulsory between the ages of 6 and 16. USEFUL WEB SITES The Tunisian capital, Tunis, is listed by the current issue of French business magazine "Capital" as one the world’s key "new economy" capitals. See: http://www.tunisiaonline.com/ Maps of Tunisia http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/ Miftah Shamali - Tunisia http://i-cias.com/m.s/tunisia/ Here is a web site that is about the country of Tunisia for the English-speaking visitor. The Souk on the Web or Souk El Web http://services.dmg.de/sew-bin/SoukElWeb.storefront/ Having visited a real souk, or bazaar, I can say these handicrafts, especially the tiles, are outstanding. Tunisia II: The Great South by Vincent Pledel http://www.ruta-imperios.com/ingles/Cronicasi/cro3.htm. If you are interested in taking a tour of Tunisia read this personal story with good photographs. The conference described was: Fete Tunisienne d’Internet http://www.fete-internet.tn/conference.html This conference was scheduled by the Minister of Communications and the Minister of Commerce November 9-10, 2000 at the LHotel, Le Palace, Gammarth. The theme of the conference was "Internet et Commerce Electronique." Site du Gouvernement Tunisien in French http://www.ministeres.tn/ Bonnie Bracey is organising the World Summit for
Children
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This page last updated on January 28 2004.
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