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TAM Report / Morocco and Tunisia - Governance

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Petya Mitova • 3 November 2025
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GENERAL INFORMATION

TAM title: Autonomy and contractual arrangements between the government and universities: Lessons learnt, issues and challenges for universities – Perspectives from the EU, Morocco and Tunisia

Type of Event: Webinar

Modality: Online 

Country: Morocco and Tunisa

Dates: 20 – 21 March 2024

Participants: The webinar gathered 169 participants from 29 university towns, representing all public and private universities. Attendees included university leaders, professors, project coordinators, administrative staff, doctoral students, and officials from the Ministry of Higher Education.

               

THEMES COVERED

  • Governance evolution of the system of higher education, research and innovation
  • The ESRI Pact 2030
  • Contractualization as a strategic project under the ESRI Pact 2030
  • Autonomy and academic liberty in higher education
  • Institutional autonomy

 

KEY OUTCOMES

During the workshop participants:

  • Discussed the contractualization framework, approach and indicators.

  • Reviewed the difficulties of autonomy and contractualization.

  • Engaged in concrete debates and information, the relevance of exchanges.

  • Compared the topic from the points of view of public and private universities.

 

OVERVIEW

The seminar supported the operationalisation of higher education reforms in both Morocco and Tunisia, with a particular focus on governance, university autonomy, and the use of contractualisation as a strategic tool. The first part of the event explored ongoing reform processes in both countries, complemented by European experiences that provided comparative perspectives. The second part focused on practical implementation, including workshops on key success factors and institutional challenges related to contractualisation.

Participants from both countries engaged actively in discussions and feedback exercises, which helped refine and contextualise the exchanges. The seminar highlighted shared challenges, notably in translating legislative frameworks into practice and in developing effective monitoring and evaluation systems. At the same time, there was broad convergence on the importance of strengthening institutional autonomy and adopting performance-based approaches.

Discussions also emphasised the need for coherent support systems, including integrated data and information tools, stronger alignment between quality assurance mechanisms and national frameworks, and sustained institutional capacity-building. Overall, contractualisation was framed not only as an administrative mechanism but as a strategic instrument to guide institutional development, enhance accountability, and increase the impact of higher education reforms in both Morocco and Tunisia.

 

THE FOLLOW UP ACTIVITY

Title of the activity: Follow-up “State-University contractualization”

Dates: 5 July 2025

Audience: 10 participants representatives of the Ministry, coordinators of the project of contractualization and HERE experts 

 

Description: 

The follow-up meeting aimed to evaluate the progress and impact of the initial seminar on State-University contractualization. Its main objectives were to gather stakeholder feedback on implementation experiences, identify existing challenges and gaps, and define clear next steps. 

To prepare, a comprehensive post-seminar report summarizing key insights—remarks, benchmarking outcomes, participant feedback, recommendations, and concerns—was shared with the Ministry and experts. The meeting began with a presentation of the main findings and challenges, followed by an open discussion to reflect and plan forward.

 

ENHANCING IMPACT: PROPOSED NEXT STEPS

  • Ensure coherence between the State-University contracts and other national, regional, and international initiatives - particularly EU programs—by aligning governance models and strategic priorities.
  • Provide structured support to universities in drafting contracts through diagnosis, alignment between state and university policies, and training of academic and administrative stakeholders.
  • Strengthen governance mechanisms to maintain coherence, avoid fragmentation and ensure unified institutional communication and decision-making.
  • Establish independent, credible monitoring and evaluation bodies using SMART indicators that distinguish between activity, performance, and impact levels. Limit and prioritize indicators, with a preference for annual and mid-term reviews. Develop internal quality systems that align with national and Higher Education System (HES) benchmarks.

  • Adapt financial procedures to allow timely and efficient use of resources, enabling universities to meet objectives. Continue implementing current reforms and institutional evaluations in tandem.

     

RESOURCES AND BACKGROUND MATERIAL

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