My primary schools were all three in the South-West of Tunisia (Governorate of Gafsa until 1973 to become part of Governorate Sidi Bouzid). My first primary school was located in a kind of no man’s land at that time. There were no trees, no water, no bathrooms, no recreational facilities, and no homes around. A few meters from the school two separate large rooms were erected to home teachers. In 1955 a shopkeeper erected his shop not far from the school, providing very basic necessities for the surrounded population. During the dry years, the place is too arid and difficult to endure living. During the rainy years, it is a magnificent place to live in and enjoy.

Our home was 3.5 km from the school. Most students lived 4 to 9 km from the school. All students walked daily 8 to 18 km. From 1954 to 1957 two teachers (one taught the Arabic language and the second the French language) were posted every year. In general, they arrived one month, and in some years, two months after classes had start. Learning was limited to reading, writing, basic arithmetic (addition, subtracting and the famous tables of multiplication from 2 to 9). During the year, parents were invited to listen and watch students recite poems in Arabic and French and feel proud of their children’s learning.

Student attendance was closely linked to the rain precipitation. During the rainy years, attendance was relatively good at the beginning of the year (classes started in early October), average around March-April, and low to very low in May and June. During the drought years, attendance from April to June was almost null. In 1956 we were two students who finished the year. In 1957, I was the only student from April to June. The teachers tried their best to help my learning. But loneliness creates a kind of extreme sadness and often I started crying. April is a windy month, the sound of the wind while I was doing some reading made me sad and I often cried. To alleviate my sadness, sometimes, I received a candy and the teacher let me go home by mid-day. In June 1958, we were two students finishing the school year.

There was really no grading, no follow-up of students’ progress, and no register that document students’ learning. I was a rare case in terms of attendance (October to June). June 1958, I was supposed finish my fourth primary year (grade 4) and would start my fifth primary school year (grade 5) in October 1958.

After obtaining my “Certificat de fin d’Etudes Primaires” in June 1961 ,from my school, in which  only two students that obtained the famous diploma during that year, I also succeeded in the secondary school entrance’s exam (Lycée of Gafsa). My three years in Gafsa were the worst years in my life in terms of living conditions and particularly quality of learning. Part of the winter in Gafsa is very cold and the summer is relatively hot. Gafsa at that time is a nice city, clean, and offered many cultural/sport activities for students. However, the teaching was mediocre. Many teachers were French. They often arrived two to five months after the start of classes and speeded through the program to finish it in three to five months. With my brother, we rented a room and I managed to learn and succeed every year. Three years later, I obtained my diploma (Brevet Enseignement Moyen).

After obtaining my diploma in Gafsa, I ended up succeeding in the entrance competition of  the “École Normale Supérieure des Professeurs adjoints” in Tunis. My dream was to become a professor of Mathematics in a Lycée. This school used to take only the best students (2 or 3 students from every secondary institution in the country) after secondary three or secondary four and prepare them in a cycle of five years (3 years – Preparatory level + 2 years – University level) to become “Professeur Adjoint” in secondary schools.

Luck and opportunities were at the “rendez-vous” in the “École Normale Supérieure des Professeurs adjoints.” Living and learning were outstanding and free. Moreover, the Minister of Education used to post the best educators and allocate massive resources for the school. The size of classes was relatively small. We were only seven students in Mathematics-Physics during my two university years at that school. Consequently, quality learning during the five years in all domains was excellent. During the summer, I did a lot of reading and went through the whole program of Math-physics of the following year.

We were not allowed to take the exams of the “Baccalaureat” to prevent students from migrating to schools like medicine, engineering, business, and others. The school used to schedule final exams at the same time as the exams of the “Tunisian Baccalauréat” (although we had no access) and “French Baccalauréat”. However, anyone can apply for the Exams of French “Baccalauréat”. There were two sessions: June and September. If an applicant provided a medical certificate for the June session, he could automatically write the supplementary exams in September. That is exactly what I did. With my French Baccalauréat, I was able to register in Economics and Mathematics at the University of Tunis while finishing my studies at “Ecole Normale Supérieure de Professeur Adjoints” in Mathematics-Physics.