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Provide the governmental national curriculum in the Arabic language. A governmental English language curriculum is taught starting at first Primary year and either French, German, Spanish, or Italian is added as a second foreign language in Secondary Education.

Experimental Language Schools:

Teach most of the government curriculum (Science, math, and computer) in English, and adds French or German as a second foreign language in preparatory education. An advanced English language curriculum is provided in all educational stages, except for the last two years. Social studies are taught in Arabic. Students are admitted into first grade at age seven; a year older than Arabic schools.

Their curriculum is quite similar to that of the government schools, but the private schools pay more attention to the students' personal needs and to the school facilities.

They teach most of the government curriculum in English, and add French or German as a second foreign language. They are expected to be better than the other schools, because of the facilities available,but their fees are much higher. Some of these schools use French or German as their main language of instruction, but it may be difficult for the student to study in governmental universities in Arabic or English afterward.

They are religiously oriendted schools as Azhar schools or Catholic schools.

They are private schools that follow another country's curriculm, like a British, American, or French system, and the degrees earned from them get official certification from the Ministry of Education. To be eligible to enroll in Egyptian universities, such schools offer even better facilities and activities than regular private schools with higher fees, but are criticised to be providing a much easier education level compared to the general curriculum. Even some Egyptian universities require higher grades than those of regular schools studetns as a minimum for enrollment, or an extra high school certificate like SAT.

Many of the prvate schools were built by missionaries, are currently affiliated with churches and provide quality education.

Many private schools offer aditional educational programs, along with the national curriculum, such as the American high school diploma, the British IGCSE system, the French baccalaur éat, the German Abitur and the International Baccalaureate.

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Provide the governmental national curriculum in the Arabic language. A governmental English language curriculum is taught starting at first Primary year and either French, German, Spanish, or Italian is added as a second foreign language in Secondary Education.

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The UN 4th Sustainable Development Goal: Quality Education 

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The UN 4th Sustainable Development Goal: Quality Education 

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Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the world was already off-track to achieve its education targets. If no additional measures are taken, only one in six countries will meet SDG4 and achieve universal access to quality education by 2030. An estimated 84 million children and young people will still be out of school and an estimated 300 million student will still not have the basic numeracy and literacy skills they need to succeed in life. To deliver SDG4, education systems must be re-imagined, and education financing must become a priority national investment.

Target 4.1: Between 2015 and 2021, the school completion rate increased from 85% to 87% in primary, from 74% to 77% in lower secondary and from 54% in 2015 to 58% in upper secondary education. Even before the onset of COVID19, these rates had slowed down relative to progress in 2010-15. Looking closely at reading levels at the end of primary school, for which trend data cover 34% of the world's children, the analysis shows that global learning levels showed no progress between 2015-2019. Furthermore, learning losses due to COVID-related school closures have been documented in 4 out of 5 of the 104 countries that have carried out such studies.

Target 4.2: Participation rate in organized learning one year before the official primary entry age has stagnated at around 75% since 2015, still far from the target of ensuring that all girls and boys have access to quality pre-primary education by 2030.

Target 4.3: Among 131 countries with data from 2017 onwards, on average approximately one in six youth and adults aged 15-64 recently participated in formal or non-formal education and training. Participation is substantially higher among youth aged 15-24 (40%-50%), compared to those aged 25-55 (only 5% for most regions).

Target 4.a: Basic school infrastructure is far from universal. In 2020, approximately a quarter of primary schools globally do not have access to basic services such as electricity, drinking water and basic sanitation facilities. For other facilities such as computer facilities and the provision of disability adapted infrastructure, figures are substantially lower, with around 50% of primary schools with access.

Target 4.c: Globally, in 2020, over 14% of teachers are still not qualified according to national norms, with little improvement since 2015.

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Goal 4 | Department of Economic and Social Affairs

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Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

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Egypt: number of enrollment of students at private schools 2022/2023 | Statista

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The total number of grade 1 to 12 students enrolled at private schools in Egypt for the academic year 2017/2018 was 1.7 million.

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The pre-university education sector in Egypt faces challenges that impede its growth, performance and efficiency.

The global competitiveness indicators issued by the World Economic Forum, from 2007/08 to 2019/20, indicate Egypt's rank among 137 countries.

Egypt secured the 93rd place in 2019, compared to 94th in 2018, 100th in 2017, 115th in 2016, and 116th in 2015. Indicating a terrible shortcoming of the pre-university education.

The major problems are as described the follows:

Student density in classrooms rose during the last five years for all public pre-university education, at the rate of 5.11 per cent between the school years 2015/16 and 2019/20. Meanwhile, the relative increase in private education is stable, reaching only 3 per cent during the same period.

The main reason is the lack of educational facilities and the high tuition fees of private schools. These costs are unaffordable to the average citizen with their limited income, which piles on pressure on public schools, leading to an increased density.

Areas deprived of education have increased by 6.5 per cent in the countryside and its outskirts.

High dropout rates, which, in the preparatory education, exceed other stages and are more severe in rural governorates. Also, dropout rates rise above average within 12 of the urban governorates.

Weak curricula and the necessity to enhance teachers' capabilities to match technical advancements in science.

Unemployment rates are high among technical school education graduates, as they constitute nearly half of the unemployed. The poverty rate among them is higher than among those with general secondary education by about 6 per cent, and it increases with university degree holders, as technical education accounts for 40 per cent of preparatory education, branching out into about 200 majors in 2019/20.

What are the efforts of the Egyptian government to overcome these problems? What are the difficulties that prevent the completion of the education reform process?

Looking at the 2014 Constitution, which devoted five full articles to education. Article 19 of the constitution stipulates that "every citizen has the right to education intending to build the Egyptian character, maintaining national identity, planting the roots of scientific thinking, developing talents, promoting innovation and establishing civilizational and spiritual values and the concepts of citizenship, tolerance and non-discrimination."

It also allocated 4 per cent of government spending for education, which will gradually increase until it meets global rates.

The Ministry of Education has taken several steps in the path of reform, from development plans to legislations.

Those efforts revolved around the new Egyptian education system, which aims to make amendments to the curricula and educational culture to transform it from a system that only qualifies the student for the exam to a way of life so that it can nurture innovative qualities and critical thinking of students.

The strategic plan for pre-university education aims to build a society based on learning and an economy based on knowledge through several goals.

The most important of which is the comprehensive development of young people, while instilling the spirit of citizenship and tolerance, and the right of every child to receive an educational opportunity that fits international quality standards by adopting reforming policies following the United Nation's Charter.

Moreover, the 2019/20 plan aimed to develop basic programs, which are as follows concerning the pre-university education stage:

1. 'Pre-school Development Program' aims to develop the creative, cognitive and physical abilities of children in the age group (4-5 years-old).

2. The 'Primary Education Development Program' aims to provide high-quality education for all children from the beginning of the primary stage until the secondary stage, through expanding the establishment of classes and the access of all students to meals.

3. In line with international standards, the 'Secondary Education Development Program' (general and technical) ensures preparing qualified graduates for higher education, skilled and able to learn and compete in global and local markets.

To implement the previous programs, a strategic plan was developed through four focal points:

Developing the educational system.

Amending the high school system.

Opening Egyptian-Japanese schools.

Technological schools for technical education.

First: Developing the Educational System

The government has developed the educational system for the pre-school stage by developing the curricula coherently. Exams have been cancelled in the first and second grades and replaced with applications that measure students' abilities.

As for the fourth to sixth grades, the student's achievement level is measured with grades (excellent - very good - good - pass - fail), as the format of the exam questions has been changed to reveal students' comprehension of educational curricula and not just to memorize it.

All of the above came in conjunction of providing digital curricula for grades from the second primary to the third preparatory.

Second: Amending the High School System

The government announced the amendment of the secondary education system so that the evaluation will be over three years. The government gradually started a plan to digitize the educational curricula starting from the 2018/19 academic year.

One million educational tablets were distributed free of charge to first-year secondary students as an experimental plan to continue with them until the third secondary grade, without changing the curricula.

Third: The Egyptian-Japanese Schools

Egyptian-Japanese schools were deployed in 2018/2019, beginning with 35 schools and another 7 schools that opened in the 2019-20 academic year, and applications were limited to pre-school and first-grade students.

Fourth: Technological Schools

Technical education and vocational training in the future strategy Egypt Vision 2030 has a large share of the social objectives.

The name of the new technical education schools (the dual education system) was changed to become "Schools of Applied Technology," in which the student obtains a certificate of applied technology.

It is a three-year system, where there are 55 per cent of preparatory graduates in the technical education schools, which are 1,300 schools across Egypt.

Despite the development plans, the problems of pre-university education have persisted to the present time. Perhaps one of the most important reasons is the lack of qualification of the education system requirements, namely the student, the teacher, the school, the administrators, the curriculum, the follow-up and the evaluation, to suit the new circumstances.

Obstacles to Educational Reforms

The educational system lacks an integrated, flexible vision, which is evident in an apparent fluctuating educational policy.

Perhaps, crises unravel the actual strength of the educational system, as the COVID-19 crisis unmasked aspects of organizational weaknesses, controlling the system's performance in pre-school, most important of which are:

The decrease in the budget allocated to education, and therefore there will be no actual evolvement. Although its allocations increased by about EGP15 billion, it did not reach half the minimum stipulated amount in the constitution.

The public spending rate on education is about EGP132 billion in the draft budget for 2019/20, representing 6.10 per cent of total public spending, 74 per cent of which goes to wages and compensation for those working in educational organizations.

1. Failure to implement the distance learning mechanism properly.

2. Excessive student overcrowding, weak schools' absorptive capacity, and the absence of a vision to deal with it.

3. The widening gap between public and private education.

4. Low salaries for the work force in the system, especially teachers, is one of the main reasons for its incompetence.

5. The weakness of the technical education and vocational training system both negatively affect the industry.

6. Inadequate school health preparations and the decline of the 'Quality Assurance Authority's role, despite its importance.

The crisis also revealed the educational institutions' lack of the technological infrastructure required for digital transformation.

Most importantly, the crisis unveiled the lack of electronic systems to manage the educational process and the lack of digital institutional repositories that allow for the digital and straightforward provision of educational resources.

Also, one of the most important difficulties that stand in the way of reform steps is the tendency to politicize education.

This policy has been followed since the July 1952 revolution and has continued to this day, knowing that a healthy education system must be concerned with building a national personality capable of thinking and criticism, regardless of the ruling regime and its orientation.

Egyptian Education Crisis Influence on Citizens and Society

The education crisis directly affected the lives of citizens and society as a whole.

Education has become a costing burden on families with its current policy and procedures, it has not been able to build the capabilities of scientific and innovative thinking and has not been able to eliminate poverty.

The "Statistics Authority" indicated that education levels are the most closely related factor to the risk of poverty, as poverty indicators decrease as the education level rises.

The percentage of the poor among the illiterate reached 35.6 per cent, compared to 9.4 per cent for university graduates in 2019/20, 15.2 per cent among above-average certificates holders, 17.4 per cent among secondary certificates holders, and 33.1 per cent among basic education certificates holders.

Income and expenditure research indicators for the year 2019/20, by the "Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics," showed that the average expenditure of the Egyptian family (25.1 million families) on private tuition amounted to 28.3 per cent of the total expenditure of EGP18,549 allocated to spending on education annually.

Consequently, reform plans were not able to eliminate the problem of private tuition since problems of the educational system are still reflected in the Egyptian society as a whole and especially on families that suffer from the exorbitant expenses of education. All of that has become a staple since quality education has become a merchandise only for the elite and the rich.
Free Education to Paid Education:
In this part, we must address the fundamental reason for the continuation of the education crisis and its origins:

Free education was closely linked to the Nasserite period after the 1952 revolution in Egypt.

One of the first and most important agreements in that period was the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which was signed in 1967 and ratified in 1982.

However, after the 1967 war, the circumstances have changed, so education allocations in the state budget declined in conjunction with the rise in population density and inflation, placing Egypt on the path of dismantling the educational welfare system established by the government.

With the political changes and the beginning of late Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat's rule, the view of the education system changed as the government began to adopt a pay-to-get policy for services.

This policy views education as a commodity offered in the market, not a guaranteed right to all citizens.

Then came late Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's era in the early 1990s, when the economic reformations started in 1991 with the support of the "Structural Adjustment Program of the IMF," which was the main gate to the neo-liberal policies that the government followed in formulating its economic policy at the time, as it reduced financial allocations to public services, especially health and education.

Thus, teachers' salaries have dropped, and educational infrastructure has declined in conjunction with overcrowded classes, which dragged the official public education to the mud.

At the same time, investing in education especially through the private sector came into the picture to compensate not only for the absence of the quality and skills in the public sector, but for fees and expenses, which later became exclusive to capable families.

Because the Egyptian government was unable to raise spending on education, the parliament, in 2016/17, merged the allocations for the cultural affairs sector in Al-Azhar, the support of student contributions and scholarships from the Ministry of Social Solidarity, the allocations of the National Authority for Quality Assurance of Education and the sector's share of debt service benefits to the education sector budget, to include all these allocations in one budget and without any actual increase in investment in education.

The education system was swept in an endless cycle of problems and crises since the 1967 war, but is there a glimmer of hope to get out of this problem?

What are the opinions of scholars and education experts in Egypt?
Educational Experts Opinions:
Dr Talaat Abdul Hamid, a professor of education at Ain Shams University, believes that the apparent fluctuation of the educational policy is one of the main reasons for the failure of the education system in Egypt.

According to Abdul Hamid, that is linked to the presence of a minister and ends with another one, who would aim to start new plans that would diverge from those that precede the pervious Cabinet he was part of.

There must be actual steps to solve the education problem.

Most important of which is forming a commission as an independent, non-profit body that is not affected by any ministerial reshuffle, to be responsible for setting strategies and policies aimed at the general benefit of students.

He also said that the world is changing rapidly. We must know why we teach and the purpose of education.

Abdul Hamid also stressed the importance of an integrative approach; given that science is based on the unity and integration of knowledge, the student must be trained to link knowledge and make holistic conclusions from partial knowledge, with caution against electronic haste and the danger of this virtual world.

The main objective of education is to build the student's personality through a natural, lived world represented in activities, role models, information and books. We must not be drawn to everything digital and Western.

He also pointed out that we must learn from China and Japan's successful experiments.

Dr Mohamed Ghoneim's study also indicated that the tasks of the pre-university education sector could not be performed by a single individual minister regardless of his ability and experience.

He stressed the need to establish a commission for primary education to be an independent body, with a legal personality affiliated with the president, and is concerned with developing the education from its current form to a more efficient one.

There is already a movement to establish a commission for pre-university education, consisting of a president from outside the executive authority appointed by the president, scholars who are well known in human knowledge and sciences, public figures with interest in public affairs, Chairman of the Education Committee of the Parliament, representatives of Education Ministry, private education, and higher education.

All of the above is dependent on the fact that the commission's decisions are enforceable and consistent with the constitution and that the ministers implement its rulings and principles, which will amount to a fundamental reform in the educational system in Egypt.

But will those opinions be taken into consideration?

Will the efforts undertaken by the government lead to a solution? Or will the Egyptians have to wait a long time (with or without hope) to solve this problem?

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The Education Crisis in Egypt: Between Reality and Hopes

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The pre-university education sector in Egypt faces challenges that impede its growth, performance and efficiency. The global competitiveness indicators issued by the World Economic Forum, from 2007/08 to 2019/20, indicate Egypt's rank among 137 countries. Egypt secured the 93rd place in 2019, compared to 94th in 2018, 100th in 2017, 115th in 2016, and 116th in 2015.

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Introducing Education for Sustainable Development into Egyptian Schools

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Introducing Education for Sustainable Development into Egyptian Schools

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The ESD for 2030 roadmap sets out the urgent challenges facing the planet and underlines the implementation of the new Education for Sustainable Development: Towards achieving the SDGs (ESD for 2030) framework, which aims to increase the contribution of education to building a more just and sustainable world.

The ESD for 2030 roadmap outlines actions in five priority action areas on policy, learning environments, building capacities of educators, youth and local level action, stressing further ESD's key role for the successful achievement of the 17 SDGs and the great individual and societal transformation required to address the urgent sustainability challenges. It also underlines six key areas of implementation: country initiatives on ESD for 2030, ESD for 2030 Network, communication and advocacy, tracking issues and trends, mobilizing resources, and monitoring the progress.

To complement the ESD for 2030 roadmap, UNESCO has developed this ESD for 2030 toolbox to provide an evolving set of selected resources to support Member States, regional and global stakeholders to develop activities in the five priority action areas and activities in support of the six key areas of implementation.

For further information and suggestions, please contact esd@unesco.org

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Education for sustainable development for 2030 Toolbox

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The ESD for 2030 roadmap sets out the urgent challenges facing the planet and underlines the implementation of the new Education for Sustainable Development: Towards achieving the SDGs (ESD for 2030) framework, which aims to increase the contribution of education to building a more just and sustainable world.

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What is Sustainable? - David Suzuki Weighs In on the Subject

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October 30, 2015 - "Sustainable development" is the byword phrase of those seeking a way forward for the world economy in light of the need to reduce our global carbon footprint to combat climate change. One definition defines the term as "economic development conducted without depletion of natural resources."

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2. Typology of provision
2.1 State education provision

2.2 Non-state education provision

2.3 Other types of schools
3. Governance and regulations 3.1 Regulations by distinct levels of education
3.2 Supplementary private tutoring

The 1981 Law No. 139 (Art. 54) states that a "private school" is any non-governmental establishment that wholly or in a subsidiary, capacity provides students with educational, vocational, or technical preparation prior to the tertiary level. Non-state nurseries or schools established by foreign entities that do not teach the Egyptian curriculum are described as "international" entities, and a "private school" is a non-state school that teaches the Egyptian curriculum. The following are also considered not to be "private schools": (1) nurseries overseen by the Ministry of Social Solidarity (MoSS) (2) international schools established by foreign establishments in which non-Egyptians are taught (i.e. the children of foreign diplomats and otherwise), and (3) cultural centres established by foreign countries or international entities.
State schools
In Egypt, education is divided into two stages the basic education stage, which includes primary education (ages 6 to 11 years) and the preparatory stage (ages 12 to 14), and the secondary stage, which covers the last three years of education (ages 15 to 17) (Egyptian MoE 2014, 14). The 2014 Egyptian Constitution (Art. 19) stipulates that the State is to provide free education for students in different stages, specifically for those between the ages of 6 and 15. In 2016/17, 90% of the total K-12 student population attended public schools.
Non-state managed, state schools
Among these types of public schools are thousands of basic and secondary schools that are affiliated with Al-Azhar University, with roughly two million enrolled students. While such institutions used to be run by non-state actors, they are now under the control of the Egyptian state. Most of the schools teach a secular curriculum that is merged with religious learning. They are supervised by the Al-Azhar Supreme Council and regulated by the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Another type of state school that exists in partnership with non-state actors was established in 2014 by the Egyptian Ministry of Education (MoE). These low-cost, "international state schools (madāris dūwalīyah ḥukūmīyah) are few, reaching a total of 13 schools as of 2020, but aim to make international education more affordable. The tuition fees for these state schools are typically capped at approximately 956 USD (15,000 EGP), unlike non-state schools in which tuition fees can reach between approximately 3,820 and 9,540 USD (60,000 and 150,000 EGP). They are still considered to be state ( schools due to the government-mandated price cap, whereby private (khṣ) schools have greater leeway in charging higher prices for tuition fees.

Further, two types of these international state schools exist: those teaching the British International Baccalaureate curriculum and those teaching the British International General Certificate of Secondary Education curriculum. The schools are jointly governed by the MoE and the International School Owners Foundation which is also involved in managing the schools and selecting administrators and teachers, supervising education, choosing books and curricula, and obtaining the licences needed. Although the foundation helps oversee these schools, it does not receive any financial compensation from the schools or the MoE. In 2018, a Cooperation Protocol was signed between the head of the publication sector and the International Schools Foundation to further implement this and improve the quality of the education provided at such schools.
Non-state funded, state schools
See previous information on international state schools.
Independent, non-state schools
Non-state schools are allowed to contribute to the provision of basic or secondary education in accordance with the plans and the curricula that are taught in state schools. They are also distinguished by teaching foreign languages in addition to the official curriculum. Private curricula can also be taught in accordance with the decision of the Minister of Education and the Supreme Council of Universities. As of 2020, there were 9,169 non-state schools in Egypt, which span international schools, which teach foreign curricula; "private language" schools, which teach the official curriculum in English; and religious schools . The government does not specify the number of existing private language, international and religious schools.
State-funded (government-aided), non-state schools
In accordance with the Egypt-Japan Education Partnership established in 2016, a pilot project to establish 200 Egypt-Japan Schools (EJS) has been outlined and is being funded via grants signed between the Egyptian MoE and the Japanese Ambassador. The schools are distinguished by their adoption of the Japanese concept of Tokkatsu or "whole child development" that is embodied through particular activities to promote personal growth and teamwork undertaken by students as well as by teaching a new Egyptian curriculum
Contracted, non-state schools
Since 1992, the Egyptian MoE and the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) have been collaborating on a community school initiative in Upper Egypt. The MoE has also agreed to support curriculum and teacher training, offer the necessary learning materials, and pay teachers' salaries (p. 1). As such, community schools are predominantly under the control of the state. However, "NGOs (non-governmental organizations) give support to identify the locations and out-of-school children, [and] they also support the communities to ensure school governance. The local communities are responsible for the provision of the donated sites' future maintenance and for the overall school governance." The initiative aimed to improve the quality of education provided to students in underserved areas, especially girls between the ages of 6 and 14 In such girl-friendly schools, older girls are prioritized and the enrollment of males is capped at 25% (MoE 2014, 15). Children who have dropped out of school may also attend one-year-long programs at community schools to receive an elementary school graduation certificate.

In accordance with 1981 Law No. 139, parents or guardians must send their children to schools to pursue basic education (Art. 15), and this is to be enforced on a provincial level. As such, homeschooling is not recognized as an option under Egyptian law. However, evidence from non-government official sources indicates that some parents may try to opt for enrolling their children in public schools or flexible schools, but continuing to homeschool them.

A number of governmental bodies oversee education, including the Ministry of Education (MoE), which monitors education provided in preschools, elementary schools, and high schools. The MoE receives guidance from the High Council of Pre-University Education and is tasked with developing teaching material, textbooks, curricula, national exams, and other such matters. In accordance with the 1981 Law No. 139 (Art. 56), non-state schools are subject to monitoring and to the laws and insurance requirements from the MoE and the Educational directorates in Egypt's governorates. The Ministry of Religious Affairs further monitors religious education, with the exception of Al-Azhar University and its affiliated schools and colleges, which are monitored by the Al-Azhar Supreme Council.

The 2014 Egyptian Constitution notes that the government oversees education to ensure that all state or non-state schools and institutes adhere to its educational policies. In parallel, the Egyptian MoE has established the 2014-30 Strategic Plan for Pre-University Education that is to be adopted as a national project. This plan consists of three phases that are set to begin in 2014 and involves further cooperation with the private sector and civil society to maximize human and material resources. At the primary education level, one of the government's executive objectives outlined for the end of 2016-17 is the establishment of awareness programs to increase the contributions of the private sector in deprived areas.

In Egypt, kindergartens constitute pre-primary classes for children between the ages of four and six, whereas nurseries are designed to accommodate those between two and four years old. All nurseries are supervised and regulated by the MoSS ( Law 126, 2008, Art. 31). The state further guarantees all children's right to access nurseries and Article 80 further states that children under the age of 6 are "entitled to early education in a childhood centre." As of the 2020/21 academic year, there were a total of 4,563 pre-elementary education institutions including 3,006 state institutions (65.9%) with 390,294 students enrolled (72.7%), and 1,557 non-state institutions (34.1%) with 146,420 students enrolled (27.3%). Non-state institutions include programs run by religious Al-Azhari schools, non-formal childcare, daycare centres at workplaces, and NGOs. Nearly two-thirds of such services are offered by NGOs, with the remainder offered by other non-state sector bodies.

The concerned Directorate for Social Affairs is responsible for issuing a licence for a nursery. Upon approving a licensing request, the applicant must submit all required documents (not explicitly listed) and inform the Directorate of this. Within 15 days of receiving the request, the Directorate must ensure compliance with the specifications or otherwise inform the applicant to redress any shortcomings and let the body know of this ( Law 126, 2008, Art. 35). Subsequently, within another 15 days, the Directorate is required to double-check the applicant's compliance and issue the licence afterwards ( Law 126, 2008, Art. 36). As of 2021, the MoSS has announced that it has begun to manage the operations of 25,000 licenced and non-licensed nurseries and to ease their (application/licensing) processing.

Reporting requirements: A nursery is required to keep records of all its activities from a technical, financial, and administrative perspective in accordance with the models drawn up by the MoSS, which must be stored within the nursery ( Law 126, 2008, Art. 37). In 2021, the MoSS announced that it will also create an integrated database that encompasses all existing nurseries while facilitating their compliance with the (quality assurance) standards established by the National Authority for Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Education.

In each directorate, the respective Committee for Nursery Affairs is tasked with deciding upon temporarily closing a nursery or placing it under the management of the Directorate of Social Affairs in case its management is insufficient or the nursery is not being used for its intended purpose ( Law 126, 2008, Art. 40(2)). In addition, "the nursery may not be closed down after obtaining its licence, except by virtue of a substantiated decision issued by the Committee for Nursery Affairs in the Governorate" (41).

Registration and approval: A request to establish a non-state school must be submitted to the education directorate in the specified Governorate at least four months before the school year is to start. The applicant should follow the specifications of the education directorates in this regard ( Law No. 139, 1981, Art. 59). and Ministerial Decree No. 420, 2014, Art. 7). The Directorate of Education must investigate the request in light of the general education plan, the needs of the governorate, and the risks associated with the request within 30 days of its submission ( Law No. 139, 1981, Art. 59 and Ministerial Decree No. 420, 2014, Art. 10).

The non-state school building must meet certain conditions stipulated in Egypt's Unified Building Law in addition to other building specifications. In addition, all non-state schools must also have medical clinics and a doctor who frequently visits the school and examines the students' health while undertaking vaccination and other immunization measures ( Ministerial Decree No. 420, 2014, Art. 4).

The appropriate education directorate issues licences ( Law No. 139, 1981, Art. 57 and Ministerial Decree No. 420, 2014, Art. 3). While secondary schoolsmust also follow the required guidelines, they have the additional requirement of attaining the approval of the Minister within the national education policy framework. Upon receiving a licence, the school system cannot be changed. It also cannot alter its study plans, add additional grades, change the location of the school, or make further modifications in relation to what the licence was based upon ( Law No. 139, 1981, Art. 61).

Some of the (e) whether the school is single-sex or mixed, and (f) the educational levels, the number of classes available per grade, and the number of students that can be accommodated information that must be submitted to obtain a licence to open a non-state school include (a) the name of the school, registration number, address, and contact information (b) the name of the (Egyptian) legal owner, his/her personal information, and registrant number (c) the name, contact information, and qualifications of the legal representative of the owner, (d) the type of education offered (Arabic or Multilanguage) Ministerial Decree No. 420, 2014, Art. 12). (

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH):No information was found.

Taxes and subsidiesIn addition to needing to comply with education, labour, and insurance laws, schools must fulfil their financial obligations toward the eligible entities by paying all taxes, insurance, and pension payments Ministerial Decree No. 420, 2014, Art. 21(5)). The owners of free, subsidized non-state schools are responsible for paying the rent for the school building, although the directorates and administrative organs of the governorates are responsible for paying for any repairs or maintenance of the subsidized non-state schools, similarly to their governmental counterparts Art. 67). In addition, in the event that the owner of a free, subsidized non-state school fails to fulfil his or her duties toward the school, the competent educational directorate or administration may pay for some of the school's expenses out of the governmental subsidy Art. 69).

Curriculum and education standards:Non-state schools can teach additional languages aside from the prescribed official curriculum or study separate curricula aside from the official one although this must be approved by the Minister of Education and the Supreme Council for Pre-University Education Ministerial Decree No. 420, 2014, Art. 2). No further requirements concerning the curricula, subjects, or languages of instruction that may be taught in non-state schools have been found.

In Al-Azhar schools, the curriculum that is followed is the same as secular public schools, although Islamic studies are more heavily emphasized, such as the subjects of Islamic Jurisprudence, Islamic Anthology, Tafsir ([typically Qur'anic] exegesis), and Tawhid (Islamic monotheism) at the high school level. In middle school, other subjects are taught, including Tajweed (Qur'anic recital), the Basics of Religion (Islam), and Calligraphy.

Teaching profession: Most teachers need to have a teaching qualification or certificates such as TEFL, and at least two years of experience in a relevant field. A 1989 policy stipulates that all primary school teachers must have a university degree in education . Teachers must also undergo a background check, obtain a work and residence permit and prove that they are medically fit. Salaries for teachers in the non-state sector vary according to qualifications and experience. No information was found on working conditions.

Fee-setting: Non-state schools are forbidden from imposing additional financial fees or expenses (i.e. for interviewing [new] students) aside from those approved by the educational administration Ministerial Decree No. 420, 2014, Art. 13(e)).

School inspection:The concerned education directorate is tasked with supervising non-state schools in all respects, similar to state schools, and is also required to supervise admissions exams and transfers, in addition to undertaking administrative and financial inspections ( Law No. 139, 1981, Art. 66). However, since its establishment in 2006/07, the National Authority for Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Education (NAQAAE) has been tasked with further supervising state and non-state pre-university education. In this regard, NAQAAE attempts to accredit such educational bodies and ensure that they fulfil certain quality standards while maintaining their own internal quality systems.

Student assessment: The assigned educational or administrative directorate is responsible for proctoring exams in non-state schools Ministerial Decree No. 420, 2014, Art. 41). The assigned educational department is tasked with approving and reviewing the exam results, while additionally storing a copy of the students' grades (Art. 42).

By contrast, there are 27 state universities, six technological universities, and a number of colleges of technology.

Profit-makingNon-state higher bodies and universities in Egypt are understood to be for-profit institutions. A non-profit university has an annual budget that determines its revenue and expenditure, provided that what it may achieve from the net surplus resulting from its activities is used to further its development, raise its educational and research efficiency, and aid in community service, environmental development, student care, and fund scholarships and study grants for outstanding individuals ( Law 12, 2009, Art. 29).

Taxes and subsidiesNon-state higher education bodies do not receive funding or subsidies from the government. International branch campuses are required to pay 2% of their annual profit in taxes by the end of December to ensure the continued renewal of the licence in Egypt ( Law No. 162, 2018, Art. 11).

Curriculum and education standardsThe international branch campuses (IBCs) must notify the concerned Ministry of the curriculum that is being taught therein to ensure that it follows the curriculum taught in the home campus. Any deviations must be approved by the involved minister ( Law No. 162, 2018, Art. 20(2)).

Teaching professionTeachers must have (a) a good reputation and (b) have not received a felony or a freedom-restricting punishment for a crime involving a breach of honour or trust, unless he or she has been rehabilitated ( Law 12, 2009, Art. 18). Assistant professors must also have at least five years of teaching experience at a university level and professors must have at least ten years of experience in this regard and have published scientific research that is commensurate with the position of the appointee. The specialization and research of faculty members is reviewed by specialized committees under the Supreme Council of Private and Non-Profit Universities (Art. 18). Aside from having good reputations and receiving a good grade in their field of specialization, teaching assistants at non-state and non-profit universities must also have a master's degree or its equivalent in their field of specialization or two higher education diplomas that qualify them to enroll as PhD candidates or attain an equivalent degree (Art. 23).

Fee-settingThe Supreme Council of Private and Non-profit Universities determines the tuition fee range that can be demanded by non-state higher education institutions. International branch campuses (IBCs) can decide the tuition fees they charge students, which must be listed in Egyptian pounds, although it is possible to collect the payments from foreign students in their own currencies. The branch is not allowed to increase the tuition fees for students that are already enrolled except by the percentage that they were notified of when they first enrolled ( Law No. 162, 2018, Art. 18).

Admission selection and processesStudents to be accepted to non-state universities for a bachelor's degree must have earned a secondary diploma or its equivalent. They must further adhere to the minimum total eligibility requirements for admission according to what is determined by the Council based on existing quality standards and the admission requirements set by the University Council ( Law 12, 2009, Art. 24). In addition, the Supreme Council of Private and Non-profit Universities determines the number of students that can be admitted to each university based on its capacity, taking into account the human and material capabilities available at the university in accordance with quality standards (Art. 25). The bylaws of each university must indicate the various types of student services systems that are in place (Art. 26). In international branch campuses (IBCs), students are also required to comply with the admission criteria established by the home campus ( Law No. 162, 2018, Art. 20).

Reporting requirements:The Minister of Higher Education's advisor at the non-state or non-profit university is required to submit a report to the Minister at the end of each semester to present to the Supreme Council of Private and Non-profit Universities. This further includes the advisor's report on the university's educational process, and in particular regarding existing admission procedures, studying, examination systems, faculty members, and their assistants ( Law 12, 2009, Art. 34). The non-state and non-profit universities must maintain regular financial accounts and records in accordance with the principles and accounting standards in place, and the periodic financial reports, budgets and final accounts are subject to the supervision and approval of the university's auditors (Art. 30).

In the event that the university can't continue performing its educational tasks, measures are taken to obtain a decision from the President of the Republic to nullify the decision to establish the university based on the minister's proposal after the approval of the council. The approval of the council for the cancellation must include how the university has been managed since the issuance of the cancellation decision until all enrolled students graduate and the manner in which this is done. It should also reflect how the university funds should be liquidated, as specified in the documents upon which the decision to establish the university was issued.

Egypt has long been known for its high rates of private tutoring, with the phenomenon having been embedded in the culture and economic interests of various stakeholders. In 2014, 91% of Grade 12 students indicated that they were either currently receiving tutoring or, if already graduated, had received tutoring during that year. Due to the high-stakes exams taken by secondary students to enter university, private tutoring has increased in Egypt, with many private test prep schools further being established. Extensive tutoring has been reported for all grades, even grade 1 where 33% of surveyed students reported receiving private lessons and a further 9% in fee-paying groups in 2012.

In fact, Egyptian statistics in the early 2000s indicated that households were spending more money on tutoring than the Ministry of Education spent on schooling, with an estimated 12-15 billion Egyptian pounds per annum compared to the 10 billion Egyptian pound budget spent by the Ministry, with expenditures remaining high in 2021.

Tutoring can generally be categorized into (1) 'private lessons' taught on a one-to-one basis in small groups and (2) 'study groups' or 'reinforcement classes' in private tutoring centres, mosques, churches, or at a school. Some of these classes can reach up to 1,200 students, with 300-500 students being more common for group tutoring.

There are also many private tutoring centres that don't register at all and operate illegally, with out-of-school private tutoring considered to have "damaged a generation of young people and corrupted the educational process". To combat this phenomenon, the government has made efforts to increasingly provide in-school tutoring at lower prices. Due to the financial strain placed on families as a result of private tutoring, the MoE may ban the practice. Research indicates that teachers force students to pay for extra tutoring, which increases the financial pressure on the poorest members of society.

Individuals are not permitted to arrange private tuition [institutions] without a licence that is obtained from the concerned education directorate ( Law No. 162, 2018, Art. 57). However, some centres register as l anguage or computer centres and then add tutoring illegally, with others not registered at all.

Forms of private tutoring are officially sanctioned on school premises. In 1986, it was made mandatory for schools to offer tutoring classes with the aim to combat out-of-school private tutoring and to "alleviate financial burdens by providing in-school tutoring at lower prices". In 2016, fees for in-school classes were increased, with the Ministry stating that these classes were voluntary.

Since 1947, teachers have been prohibited from offering private lessons inside or outside schools without the required permission from the Ministry of Education and their schools. In 1998, follow-up regulations prohibited all private lessons by state school teachers, with a 2013 decree stressing the authority of both the Ministry of Education and top administrators in each of the 27 Governorates to pursue disciplinary action against teachers providing these lessons inside or outside schools or in any public or private establishment.

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2. Typology of provision 2.1 State education provision 2.2 Non-state education provision 2.3 Other types of schools 3. Governance and regulations 3.1 Regulations by distinct levels of education 3.2 Supplementary private tutoring The 1981 Law No. 139 (Art.

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What is Education for Sustainable Development?

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What is Education for Sustainable Development?

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Learning to change the world! What is Education for Sustainable Development?

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The 3 Spheres of Sustainable Development

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The 3 Spheres of Sustainable Development

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Sustainable Development: An Unavoidable Path for Egypt's Future

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Sustainable Development: An Unavoidable Path for Egypt's Future

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Egypt has realized a significant number of changes in healthcare, education, and economic reform policy over the past decade. It is also increasingly looking toward policy for development that emphasizes cohesive problem solving, in line with its Vision 2030 strategy, which highlights the need for positive knock-on effects from investments in human development. Yet the country's current development trajectory faces two major challenges. First is the size of its population, estimated in the 2019 CAPMAS report at 104 million people and growing at a rate of 2.6 percent annually. Second is the increasing need for employment among the youth, which comprise 60 percent of Egypt's total population and have growing expectations for the provision of better services. These challenges are coupled with a young population exposed to globalization, a government system that has faced capacity issues for decades, and a bureaucracy that requires significant restructuring to meet needs. Egypt must overcome all of these hurdles as it pursues its national reform agenda and look for solutions that are both immediate and sustainable in the long term.

Sustainable development management as a foundation for Egypt's economic, social, and environmental future is becoming a matter of increasing urgency, and investment in human development needs to be properly managed and monitored to ensure long-term success and improvement in the lives of Egyptians. Without sustainable development management and a participatory approach, Egypt could run the risk of expending large sums on investment and accumulating unforeseeable debt for short-term projects without considering the long-term and even intergenerational benefits for society.

In order to understand the need for cohesive sustainable development it is important to look at each of the defining changes Egypt has undergone since the 2011 uprising and the five-year period of turmoil that preceded it. In 2017, the economic reforms undertaken as a corrective measure had a huge impact on the daily lives of Egyptians and the wider economy, affecting the incomes and purchasing power of the middle classes. Food, electricity, and gas prices increased, and consumer behavior had to adapt and respond instantly. Social protection measures for the poor were implemented to create a buffer to the harsh impacts as the flotation of the currency caused ripple effects and inflation increased to 300 percent.

In 2019 the positive and stabilizing effects of such reforms began to become visible, leaving behind a shrunken middle class to recover. A complete restructuring of healthcare, pensions, and population growth policies has seen a $9 billion investment that has led to positive results in the form of increased life expectancy and reduced infant mortality. These ongoing national projects are focused on raising awareness and improving the provision of services to increase the quality of life for Egypt's very poor. The national eradication of Hepatitis C, the implementation of anti-drug-use campaigns, as well as the criminalization of child marriage, female genital mutilation, and violence against women, along with the launch of an anti-bullying and mental health support network all reflect the increasing importance of human development in the national agenda. Education is also set for a complete overhaul and is already being tested with assistance from the World Bank and investment in early education and vocational training to boost job growth. In addition, there is a national project to provide employability training based on the needs of the market for particular skills. Women, religious minorities, and indigenous groups have seen significant inclusion too in the political and legislative processes. Egypt's national mega-projects, such as the construction of a 7000-km road network, energy infrastructure, the New Administrative Capital, and 14 new nodal smart cities, are a natural reaction to meeting the demands of a growing population and the need for rapid job creation.

While there are improvements on many fronts, sustainable development management remains essential to ensure these national projects and policy reforms have the desired impact and will consistently help to foster the growth of a strong middle class in Egypt again. The country cannot exhaust its current resources to bring its economy, education, and healthcare sectors up to date without taking measures to ensure it has the capacity to maintain the positive impacts of these reforms for generations to come.

There are two key issues for which Egypt must have a policy buffer while continuing its development path: water security and regional instability. As major national security priorities, both are known to be well monitored. However, in order to ensure that sustainable development is at the heart of all reforms, more needs to be done to promote inclusion and awareness.

Water scarcity and climate resilience should be tackled in a broad-based manner, not just from a national security perspective. Action needs to be taken across the board as these issues will hinder progress in all sectors, particularly efforts to improve livelihoods and advance economic development. Cultural investment for the preservation of natural heritage and civil inclusion in preservation remain topics among the educated elite, but investment in mainstreaming such measures has not yet been encouraged.

Regional instability requires Egypt to look more closely at its micro economy and informal sector because this huge, underexplored, and unregulated segment acts as a stabilizer during times of unrest in the region. Local economic resilience is a powerful asset for Egypt, creating a sector of entrepreneurs and potential exports that can flourish given the scale of the local market. Egypt should explore the opportunities at its feet to mitigate the negative ramifications of regional conflicts. In 2014 Egypt had to create 4 million jobs for its nationals returning from war-torn neighboring countries as well as host an equal number of refugees. The country is now open to trade with Africa as part of a reform policy aimed at expanding local market opportunities and forging new partnerships on the continent, with a particular focus on infrastructure projects and cultural exchange. This is part of a new foreign policy effort to better connect Egypt to Africa economically as well as geographically and expand beyond its traditional focus on the Middle East and the Arab World. This new focus on Africa offers considerable potential for sustainable development and could serve as a launch pad for young people to harness their creativity and flourish.

For Egypt, sustainable development is a necessity, not a choice - one that will magnify, extend, and expand the positive impacts of existing investments and reforms. It will also help to ensure they perform as expected, providing deliverables that will ultimately be reflected in improvements in the lives of Egyptians, who are eagerly observing these changes. A country as large as Egypt cannot afford quick-win scenarios as it enters a cycle of stability and adaptation; the key to tangible, lasting progress is resilient services, better quality, and above all investment in future generations with independence in mind.
Sarah El Battouty is a non-resident scholar at MEI, an award-winning architect with 18 years' experience in the field of green and environmental building, the founder of one of Egypt's leading environmental design and auditing companies (ECOnsult), and a senior advisor to the Egyptian president on sustainable community development. The views expressed in this piece are her own.
Photo by MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP via Getty Images

The Middle East Institute (MEI) is an independent, non-partisan, non-for-profit, educational organization. It does not engage in advocacy and its scholars' opinions are their own. MEI welcomes financial donations, but retains sole editorial control over its work and its publications reflect only the authors' views. For a listing of MEI donors, please click .

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Sustainable development: An unavoidable path for Egypt's future

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Egypt has realized a significant number of changes in healthcare, education, and economic reform policy over the past decade.

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Egypt Actively Encourages Private Education

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Egypt Actively Encourages Private Education

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Challenges facing the implementation of Education for ESD in Egypt

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Challenges facing the implementation of Education for ESD in Egypt