New education strategy lacks broader vision say experts

Controversy has risen over the details of Egypt’s new seven-axis education strategy, which was released on Tuesday following a five-hour meeting between President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Education Minister Mahmoud Abul Nasr.

The strategy, which is entering its preliminary phase (2014-2017) and continues until 2030, covers varying topics, from students and teachers to the curriculum and employment of future graduates.

Education expert Kamal Mogheeth told Mada Masr that the proposed strategy lacks a broader vision to radically reform the system.

Egypt is currently 136 on a list of 181 countries when it comes to quality of education, according to the latest United Nations statistics.

The proposed strategy includes micro projects, such as the launching of an educational satellite channel, supporting the education systems of other African nations through an exchange of expertise, valuing teachers and re-establishing Teachers Day celebrations, as well as building new schools and decreasing illiteracy rates.

Mogheeth describes the plan as “naive and shameful.” In his opinion, the main problems with education in Egypt fall under two categories: teacher’s salaries and lack of general objectives.

Teachers have held numerous protests, sit-ins and intermittent strikes over the past few years demanding increases in wages. Their demands were not met by radical changes from any of the previous governments.

A newly assigned teacher is paid LE700 per month, a salary that falls below the minimum wage and is “barely enough to cover a teacher’s own personal expenses,” said Mogheeth.

“Meanwhile, teachers have obligations towards their students as well as a future to build and consider. How do you expect teachers to be part of a modern education program when they have to work after school as taxi drivers and waiters, or even give private lessons? Their minds are too preoccupied to think about the educational process,” he elaborated.

While the strategy does include a plan for teachers, it does not specify measures that will be taken to improve conditions.

Abul Nasr maintained teaching is “one of the most sacred professions on earth,” and said salaries would gradually increase in the future, but he didn’t mention any specific details.

The annual Teacher’s Day celebrations on the other hand were widely discussed, with Sisi planning to meet distinguished teachers and students during the celebration that proceeds every school year.

Mogheeth believes that the second main problem with education in Egypt is that no one asks the question, “What do we want the graduate to be?” He suggests the objective of education should be to teach graduates four main values: a sense of citizenship surpassing religion or ethnicity, a scientific approach to life’s problems, general knowledge and the mastering of a specific vocation.

In light of this, he criticized the new plan to “qualify 50-60 thousand technical education graduates over two years to meet the Gulf market’s needs for skilled and well-mannered technical laborers,” comparing it to widely-controversial statements by former Minister of Manpower Aisha Abdel Hady to send Egyptian women to work as maids in Arab Gulf countries.

Labor laws in Gulf countries, specifically the “kafeel” system (the control of workers by employment sponsors) has been previously used as a means of violating the rights of Egyptian workers in the Gulf.

“Instead of sending qualified Egyptian workers to a market you have no control over, you should be supporting the country’s economy by giving fresh graduates tax concessions when they start initiatives,” he added.

The question of developing the school curriculum has been a constant file on every Education Minister’s table. Abul Nasr suggested changing 30 percent of it and developing the remaining 70 percent, as well as supporting the development of technologies used in schools in collaboration with the United Arab Emirates.

Other controversial aspects discussed included generalizing the school meals program. “We have 20 million students in pre-university education in Egypt, 10 million of whom don’t financially need these programs. Individual studies have to be conducted by social workers to determine the level of nutritional needs of each student according to their family’s social status, among other things,” he explained, adding that the various groups would then receive the appropriate nutritional content.

Sisi had emphasized the need for social contributions to guarantee the implementation of the school meals program, especially from those in charge of the Egyptian food industry.

However, Mogheeth strongly disagrees, adding that education is a national sovereignty issue, which means that school meals and consequently the wellbeing of Egyptian children and students cannot depend on businessmen’s donations or volunteerism.

Another debatable point involves the building of new schools. The new educational strategy relies on encouraging civil society to fund the ministry’s plans to build new schools with classroom capacities of 40 students or less.

The minister also announced that 1150 new schools, built last year, would be ready at the beginning of the new school term. However, Mogheeth told Mada Masr that informed sources told him only 125 of them are ready to receive students in September.

He deemed the plans unrealistic, “To reach these class capacities, we need to build 3000 schools every year over a period of 10 years. Building a school costs around LE2 million and we are talking about a budget of LE6 billion every year. These plans cannot be left to the generosity of the rich, we need sovereign bodies that will guarantee such vital projects.”