The SAGESSE project “Improving Governance in the Higher Education System in Tunisia” is an initiative funded by the Erasmus+ programme – Capacity Building in the Higher Education Sector. Capacity building projects include transnational cooperation based on multilateral partnership made up of higher education institutions from countries participating in the Erasmus+ programme and eligible partner countries.

Role of the University of Rome “La Sapienza”:

The University of Rome “La Sapienza” will coordinate, together with the University of Tunis El Manar (UTM), the development of a quality manual on management procedures and the implementation of action plans with the aim to realise a development project concerning good governance at the international level (Work Lot No. 4)

 Project duration:

The SAGESSE project started on the 15^th of October 2017 and will come to an end on the 14^th of October 2020.
For further information, visit the project website: http://www.sagesseproject.eu/.

 Objectives:

The main aim of the SAGESSE project is to support the process of reform and modernisation undertaken by the Higher Education Institutes of Tunisia within the framework of post-revolution national developments, through the following objectives:

1) To improve governance mechanisms by providing operational support based on international best practices;
2) To support the formulation of new decisional and management procedures for the selection and training of internal/external higher education institutions personnel in charge of managing and controlling the processes;
3) To develop insurance and quality control systems within higher education institutions;
4) To boost knowledge and tools available to management, administrative and academic staff;
5) The creation – in every university of the consortium – of a digital administration area for an innovative, efficient and more autonomous financial management.

Activities:

• Activities of research and analysis on good governance practices in Tunisia;
• Training seminars, study visits and exchange of good practices abroad for the training of administrative and executive staff;
• Elaboration of a quality manual on financial management procedures;
• Formulation – for each university of the consortium – of its own strategic project and the related action plans and offices creation for their implementation;
• Information sessions concerning good governance for the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Tunisian National Evaluation, Quality Control and Accreditation Institute;
• Drafting of a White Book of recommendations addressed to interest groups and national, regional and international political authorities.

Outcomes:

• Increased skills of university executive and academic staff in the fields of governance and quality control;
• Increased skills of university administrative staff in the field of financial management;
• Creation of digital administration areas within the consortium’s universities;
• Greater awareness of the importance of improved governance by universities and policy makers;
• Increase in the autonomy of the consortium’s universities in the academic and financial sphere;
• Greater opportunities for the consortium’s universities to open up to the socio-economic world.

Partners:

The project is carried out by 21 organisations:

• UNIMED (Italy, coordinator)
• University of Siena (Italy)
• Universy of Rome “La Sapienza” (Italy)
• University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (France)
• University of Barcelona (Spain)
• University of Tunis (Tunisia)
• University of Tunis El Manar (Tunisia)
• University of Carthage (Tunisia)
• University of Sousse (Tunisia)
• University of Sfax (Tunisia)
• University of Gabès (Tunisia)
• University of the Manouba (Tunisia)
• University of Monastir (Tunisia)
• Virtual University of Tunis (Tunisia)
• University of Kairouan (Tunisia)
• University of Gafsa (Tunisia)
• University of Jendouba (Tunisia)
• University of Ez-zitouna (Tunisia)
• Ministry of Education and Scientific Research (Tunisia)
• Tunisian Quality Insurance and Evaluation Agency (Tunisia)
• CESIE (Italy)