Return of Split Shifts Signals a Different Tunisia

Tunisia returns to a two-session working day on Tuesday, Sept. 1, bringing an abrupt change to daily life. Some universities will reopen the same day, more university students will return on Sept. 12, and the school year will officially begin on Sept. 15.

The shift is expected to put heavy pressure on transport and administrative services. For many Tunisians, however, the longer schedule offers more opportunities to complete paperwork that proved difficult during the single-session system. With employees and civil servants largely back from summer leave, the quality of public services could improve.

The scale of the return is considerable. The country will bring together nearly 700,000 civil servants, more than one million private-sector employees, about 2.5 million pupils and at least 400,000 university students and vocational trainees over the 10-month period covered by the two-session schedule.

The new academic and administrative year follows a summer marked by unprecedented water and electricity cuts and sudden shortages of bottled water. Tunisians hope that period will quickly give way to more serious and stable work.

Transport remains the main source of anxiety. Despite announcements about preparations, concerns persist over whether regional transport companies and other services can cope with the sharp increase in demand.