The Second Chance Centre in the governorate of Gabes is due to open its doors soon to welcome young drop-outs from the region, after being given a facelift and fitted out properly.
The refurbishment work on the centre, which falls under the responsibility of the Ministry of Social Affairs, was funded by the Muslim World League, according to a press release posted on Wednesday on the official website of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Tunisia.
The Gabes centre will provide a second chance for young people who have dropped out of school to resume their studies in educational establishments, benefit from vocational training, or prepare to enter the job market in the case of those who are older.
A delegation from the Ministry of Social Affairs, the UNICEF office and the World Islamic League visited on Tuesday the centre, which is part of a national programme implemented by the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training, with techn
ical support from UNICEF.
Other similar Second Chance centres have opened their doors in Ariana (since 2020), Bab El Khadra in Tunis (since 2021) and Kairouan (since January 2024).
The Second Chance Centres programme is part of a strategy to reintegrate school drop-outs into the education system and the labour market, especially as statistics show that Tunisia has between 60,000 and 100,000 school drop-outs every year.
Data from the UNICEF office in Tunisia indicates that 50% of drop-outs (around 30,000 pupils) do not enrol in any vocational training system and are considered unemployed.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse