Written by: Kiros Langston, Head of English Programmes Maghreb
Launched by the British Council in Tunisia in 2023, and funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the Skills for Success programme aimed to support the Ministry of Education in equipping young people with the English language skills and confidence they need to pursue meaningful education and employment opportunities. The challenge in the country was as urgent as it was complex. There were high levels of youth unemployment and student drop-out rates in school, with 47 per cent happening in year seven (the first year of secondary education), whilst employers consistently identify skills gaps. What has since unfolded is a powerful example of collaboration, adaptability and impact – both at an individual and systemic level.
In Tunisia and Maghreb, where there is a shift towards English, the programme was co-designed with the Tunisian Ministry of Education. It encapsulated our shared vision to strengthen and improve English teaching in preparatory schools through innovative approaches that integrate life skills, promote learner engagement and empower teachers.
Current English Language Teaching (ELT) textbooks used in class are judged by the ministry and educators themselves to be outdated, both pedagogically and in terms of contents, and in need of innovative supplementary classroom resources to more effectively engage and motivate this new generation of learners starting secondary school. As requested by the ministry, the teaching resources toolkits are formally aligned to the syllabus and support teachers to make their ELT classes more interactive, student-centred and innovative in terms of approach and types of activity. To ensure learning is fun and productive, the toolkit resources integrate inclusive learner research approaches, project work and a range of activity types.
The new toolkit contains three key elements, the teaching and learning resources toolkit, the How to Use Guide and a Technique Toolbox. The How to Use Guide provides a comprehensive explanation of the toolkit’s overall purpose. It details its various components and how they work together to achieve the desired outcomes. This guide is designed to ensure that teachers can easily navigate and make the most of the toolkit’s features. The Technique Toolbox, created by the British Council, serves as a valuable reference, including a glossary of terms used throughout the toolkit. It provides clear definitions and explanations to help teachers better understand the concepts and techniques involved. This resource is aimed at making the toolkit more accessible and ensures that all users, regardless of experience level, can confidently apply its contents.
In addition, building on the work UNICEF carried out with the Ministry of Education over the past few years to integrate the implicit teaching of life and soft skills within subjects, the new toolkits integrate 12 life skills with the ELT resources. Accompanying teaching notes make it clear why and how to integrate these in the classroom, thus also allowing the Toolkits to implement this approach that matches the ministry’s vision. Putting the mainstreaming of life skills into practice is a key reason why the ministry is keen to ensure rigorous monitoring and evaluation is in place, providing a solid evidence base they can use as a model for other years and potentially other subjects.
From the outset, we worked closely with ministry officials, ELT inspectors, UK implementation partners TransformELT and Qualisus, and teachers from across the country. Together, we developed a multimedia toolkit aligned with the national curriculum and have piloted it with 399 English teachers, impacting over 10,000 students in year seven to date.
Whilst the ambitions were big, the path to success was not always straightforward. The timeline was condensed due to an annual funding cycle, which, when combined with the need to align implementation with academic schedules and stakeholder availability, made the delivery of the programme particularly complex. The window for piloting the new toolkit was narrow, however, thanks to the deep relationships we have built with our partners and the tireless efforts of the project team, we pressed on. The ministry’s online platform enabled a blended training approach that ensured continuity and reach, particularly to teachers in marginalised areas.
A pivotal moment came in October 2024, when ELT inspectors gathered at the British Council in Tunis to evaluate the toolkit and training framework. This was more than a routine engagement – it was a turning point. The inspectors, many of whom had co-developed the resources, provided critical insights into how the toolkit could be refined and how it was already shifting classroom dynamics. Their feedback became an essential part of our Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) process, confirming that the co-creation model we had adopted was a key factor in the project’s early success.
In February 2025, we hosted a milestone event with the Ministry of Education, FCDO, UNICEF and our UK delivery partners to share the MEL findings. The results were compelling. The effective use of the new toolkit resources had demonstrated improved classroom practices and increased student motivation. Inspectors and teachers reported heightened engagement, not only with the content, but with the process of continuous professional development. Importantly, students themselves express increased enthusiasm for learning English – an encouraging sign for the long-term impact of the programme.
Teachers’ feedback underscored this progress. Over 94 per cent reported using the toolkit in their classrooms, and more than 80 per cent described the activities as effective in developing life skills alongside English. Pre- and post-pilot classroom observations, conducted by inspectors, showed a shift towards more learning-centred teaching, including group work, project-based learning and positive reinforcement strategies. More than 60 per cent of teachers were observed encouraging students to lead activities and classroom participation had significantly increased since the start of the project.
Students echoed these experiences. Survey data showed a small but meaningful increase in engagement, with 86 per cent of students indicating they intend to continue their education, a rise from 84.6 per cent at the start of the project. Teachers observed improvements in students’ confidence, communication, teamwork and creativity. Focus group discussions confirmed this, with students describing their English classes as fun, interactive and something to look forward to. For some, it was the first time they felt supported by their teacher.
What stood out throughout was the Ministry’s active involvement and willingness to adopt a collaborative, evidence-based approach, meaning the project has a strong MEL track record. The toolkit carries joint ownership between the British Council and the Tunisian government, and the Ministry now has the evidence, content and infrastructure to continue training teachers independently, providing a sustainable and proven methodology to move forward with. The success of this pilot has laid the groundwork for a national rollout in the 2025-26 academic year, extending to all preparatory school English teachers and Secondary Chance Centres across Tunisia.
This work also supports broader systemic reform. By aligning the toolkit with Tunisia’s national education strategy and embedding soft skills alongside English language instruction, the project contributes to the evolution of teaching methodologies and curriculum design. It also showcases UK innovation in education and underscores the value of collaborative knowledge exchange. Our work in Tunisia is also a reminder of the extraordinary people whose shared commitment made the pilot a success. The local project team, ELT inspectors, ministry officials and UK experts all demonstrated technical excellence, cultural understanding, mutual respect and a willingness to adapt.
Looking ahead, there is real potential to replicate this model elsewhere. The Tunisia experience demonstrated how co-created, curriculum-aligned resources, delivered through blended learning and backed by robust MEL, can drive systemic change. It is a model that balances UK expertise with local leadership – one that funders, partners and education ministries around the world can draw on.
The British Council’s unique position and experience in education, culture and international collaboration, enables us to facilitate this kind of work effectively. Our role in Tunisia has been as both catalyst and connector, bringing together the right people, knowledge and tools to create meaningful, scalable change, demonstrating our ability to build enduring partnerships in our delivery of funder programmes.
As we move towards full implementation in 2025, we are committed to extending the impact of the programme. We are working closely with the Ministry of Education to ensure the toolkit evolves in line with national priorities and we will keep refining our MEL framework and share the learnings to inform further developments. We remain focused on supporting young Tunisians to develop the skills they need, not just for today’s challenges, but for tomorrow’s opportunities. Tunisia’s Skills for Success programme stands as a compelling example of what is possible when we invest in people, trust in partnership and focus on sustainable outcomes.