The Bourguiba Institute of Living Languages (IBLV) was established by presidential decree in 1964. It is an institution under the University of Tunis El Manar, supervised by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. It is governed by decree No. 439 of March 11, 1996.

IBLV is open to the general public with financial participation from both Tunisian and foreign students. It allows for opening up to the international environment, fostering economic, cultural, and social relations between Tunisia and the rest of the world. It promotes the practice of living languages by creating a network of foreign language training centers throughout the country: Several centers distributed across the Tunisian territory. Its main headquarters is located at 47, Avenue de la Liberté, Lafayette, Tunis, and its main annex is located at 2, Rue de Syrie, Lafayette – Tunis.

Since its inception, IBLV has gained worldwide recognition in teaching Arabic as a foreign language (AFL), as well as in Arabic literature and Arab-Muslim civilization. This global reputation is now well established, as evidenced by the ever-increasing number of foreign students arriving each year from all corners of the world and the numerous agreements signed with universities and other international partners: INALCO Paris, University of Rome, Tor Vergata, University of Oxford, United Kingdom. Arabic teachers are frequently requested to travel abroad to organize AFL training cycles at several universities in Europe.

Example Image

The international reputation of IBLV was crowned in 2018 with the accreditation from the Ministry of Education of South Korea for the teaching and certification of the Korean language (TOPIK) in Tunisia. The same year, the Institute obtained accreditation in the Romanian language, following which a Center for Romanian Sciences and Culture was established within the Institute, fully funded by the Republic of Romania.

The Arab World Institute in Paris

In July 2019, the Institute signed an agreement with the Arab World Institute in Paris, granting it the status of an official center for the teaching and certification of the Arabic language, which authorizes it to issue the CIMA (International Certificate of Mastery in Arabic Language).

The Japan Foundation

Finally, in September 2020, IBLV and the University of Tunis El Manar had the honor of concluding an agreement with the Japan Foundation, with the valuable assistance of the Japanese Embassy in Tunisia, under which IBLV was able to obtain accreditation for the teaching and evaluation of the Japanese language, through the organization of the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test), the first edition of which took place successfully on December 6, 2020, at IBLV, and the second on December 5, 2021.