Latestarticle

 

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi reviewed the progress of Egypt’s education reform agenda and the start of the new academic year, which witnessed an unprecedented 87.5% student attendance rate, alongside the launch of the country’s first Egyptian Baccalaureate System, already enrolling 88% of eligible students.

During a meeting with Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli and Minister of Education and Technical Education Mohammad Abde Latif, the President followed up on efforts to ensure the smooth operation of the academic year, tackle classroom overcrowding, and address teacher shortages.

Presidential Spokesman Ambassador Mohammad El-Shennawi stated that the President also reviewed the rollout of 94 newly developed curricula across all educational stages, a key milestone in Egypt’s drive to modernize learning and align it with the requirements of the digital age and the Labour market.

Minister Abdel Latif briefed the President on the latest steps to overhaul the education system, noting that a high-level committee comprising teachers, academics, and university professors had been formed to review the updated curricula.

He added that a comprehensive training and qualification program for teachers is being implemented in cooperation with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), with a focus on modern pedagogical methods and digital integration.

The reforms also introduce programming and artificial intelligence as core subjects for the first time.

El-Shennawi said that President Sisi directed the continuation and deepening of reform efforts to deliver a high-quality, modern education system that keeps pace with global developments in science and technology.

President Sisi emphasized the importance of aligning curricula with real Labour market needs to ensure that graduates possess the competencies and skills required by Egypt’s rapidly evolving economy.

The meeting also reviewed the 2025–2026 investment plan for the education sector, which prioritizes the expansion of competitive and high-performing schools, as well as the enhancement of technical and applied education.

President Sisi also emphasized the importance of strengthening partnerships with the private sector to establish more specialized technology schools that can produce skilled graduates capable of meeting the demands of both local and international markets.

The president was further briefed on the National Program for Literacy and Reading Skills, which targets struggling primary students by building teachers’ capacities to develop reading and writing proficiency.

The meeting also discussed the implementation of the Egyptian Baccalaureate System, which was introduced this year.

The education minister explained that, while it shares the same educational foundations as the traditional secondary system, the baccalaureate offers a more flexible framework with fewer subjects and multiple testing opportunities.

Concluding the meeting, President El-Sisi emphasized the need to focus on education fields linked to modern technology, such as artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and innovation, describing them as key drivers of Egypt’s development agenda.

He also directed the government to intensify public investment in education and to continue transforming the system into one that encourages creativity, entrepreneurship, and critical thinking, with technology embedded as a central component of the learning process.

President El-Sisi also reaffirmed his commitment to improving teachers’ welfare, ordering the disbursement of an EGP 1,000 teaching allowance starting 1 November, and instructing the government to prioritize enhancing teachers’ economic conditions as a cornerstone of national policy in the coming phase.

Source: Al-Ahram Online