The cost of sending learners to school in the new calendar year in Tunisia has gone up by 48% in 2023 compared to 2021, a survey has indicated.

Rising cost of school supplies has been cited as the main contributing factor to the higher back-to-school expenses, the survey conducted by the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights shows.

The average price of notebooks has risen by 75%, while that of school supplies has gone up by 39%, the study revealed.

Sixty-seven per cent of Tunisian families have placed their children under private tutoring to offer “additional knowledge.”

Learners are charged between 30 and 40 Tunisian dinars ($9.58-12.77) per hour for private tuition, the study found.

The survey also established that 93% of school dropouts were children from poor families.

Most respondents were drawn from Monastir City, which is located 162 kilometres south of the capital Tunis.