Mubarak discuss education strategy for new generations
Egypt, Education, 2/4/2002

Egypt's President Mubarak yesterday presided over a cabinet meeting which was devoted for discussing strategy of the Ministry of Education through the national education project which was put forward by Hussein Kamel Bahaa Al Din, the Minister of Education.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Information Minister Safwat El-Sherif said that Education Minister Kamel Bahaa Al Din reviewed at the meeting what has been achieved in the educational field over the past ten years.

Sheriff said that Mubarak underlined the importance of making the best use of the Egyptian potentials to improve the printing of school books.

Mubarak called for taking gradual steps to cancel the two shift operation system in schools, cut down the number of students in classes and seek the help of experts to upgrade school curriculum to make them interesting in content and easy in style for students.

The President stressed that pre-university education is one of the most important stages that the State should take care of in order to create and independent character capable of coping up with the era of technology.

Ministers of youth, finance and planning also were present in addition to the presidential Cabinet Chief and heads of the education and scientific committees at both the People's Assembly and the Shura Council.

The Minister pointed out that President Mubarak had discussed before performance in the communications and oil sectors.

He added that President Mubarak gave directives in the light of a review which was presented by the Minister of Education Dr. Hussein Kamel Baha Eddin.

The Minister of Education gave an account of the national education project and reviewed achievements of the march of education during the past ten years up to 30/6/2001 and also achievements during the first half of the present year from 1/7/2001 up to 31/12/2001. He also presented the fifth five-year development plan (2002/2007).

President Mubarak discussed with the Minister of Education the national vision of the future of education in Egypt.

The Minister of Information said that President Mubarak, in the light of the report presented by the Minister of Education gave several directives in which he focused on a number o principles and offered several visions of the future.

President Mubarak pointed out that the aim of his discussion of the plans of the various ministers was to define visions of the future in order to serve future generations "so that we may be committed, as a state, to a scientific planning for the sake of future generations."

President Mubarak said that the most dangerous thing which could happen to nations was that work is directed for a personal him of a personal glory. He said "Our vision should be characterized by a full appreciation of the challenges and elements which should form a basis on which generations could build.

The Minister of Information pointed out that President Mubarak gave several directives. The President stressed that among the most important stages which should be given attention is pre-university education and that primary education is one of the important stages in formulating the personality of youth in the future.

The stage or childhood is the stage in which values and principles and the seeds of scientific thinking could be planted.

President Mubarak underlined the importance of forming an integrated independent personality in the pre-university stage either through programmes or curricula or developing hobbies and also the importance of maximizing the ability to think and create and develop skills which increase the ability to gain and absorb knowledge.

Priority should be given to preparing the new generations since the beginning of the stages of education so that the new generations may enter the age of technology.

Education systems should be developed by making use of what advanced countries have achieved in a manner which conforms with the nature and special characteristics of Egyptian society.

The Minister of Information said that as regards the stage of primary education, President Mubarak said it was necessary to provide a climate which makes young pupils like their schools.

The President stressed the importance of raising the standard of the primary school teacher whose personality would always remain vivid in the minds of the children.

President Mubarak asked for not overburdening pupils with curricula and said it was important to review curricula to make them attractive in substance and easy in method.

The help of experts should be sought in accordance with the level reached by countries "so that we may begin from the point reached by advanced countries."

Minister of Information Safwat Al Sherif said that President Mubarak stressed the importance of benefiting from available Egyptian potentials to improve the shape and printing of school books.

Education should seek, through its curricula and programmes, to strengthen and build values and a culture which should be instilled at an early age.

President Mubarak called for a clear plan to cancel, gradually, the system of teaching during several periods at schools and reduce the number of pupils in classes.

This should be according to a realistic plan conforming with what could be done and there should be commitment to it.

The President asked that attention should be given to the south of the valley which should be given priority in development and modernization of institutions, curricula and education programmes.

President Mubarak called on those who can afford it in local society to contribute to improving service and the maintenance of education institutions and give more attention to sport activities which are the basis of a sound mind and sound thinking and to draw up plans to turn the industrial school into a productive unit to develop skills and provide an economic return and a service to society.

The Minister of Information said that President Mubarak, after listening to a review of the secondary education plan, stressed that the secondary education stage is an important stage and it should be clear that it needs to be developed and the curricula and programmes should be updated in order to raise the level of education and realise scientific specialization.

The President said that upgrading, modernizing and developing the system of secondary education , which is the final step in the pre-university stage, would raise the standard of students and ease the psychological pressure on them and save families from the state of tension.

Minister of Information Safwat A1 Sherif said that President Mubarak asked the ministry of Education to draw up a complete study to upgrade and modernise secondary education and the final secondary stage system.

He asked for the formation of a working group of education experts and to make a comparative study of systems in advanced countries such as the USA, France, Britain, Japan and China.

A similar working group should be formed from the Education Committees of the People's Assembly and Shura Council in addition to a ignoring group of the Education Committee of the National Democratic Party (NDP).

The groups would join together when they finish their work in and expanded committee to draw up an integrated plan to update and develop secondary education. This should be completed by the end of March.

Minister of Information Safwat A1 Sherif said that President Mubarak will hold an expanded meeting with the working groups to discuss future policies they will present.

President Mubarak decided to ask working groups to study the development of technical education through a realistic plan and means of developing its establishments and the method of preparing technicians and distinguished instructions at colleges of industrial education and their modernization, development and maximizing their ability to meet the needs of technical education and to define the crafts needed for the market which conform with the programme of industry and agriculture in Egypt.

President Mubarak asked Minister of Higher Education, Dr. Mofid Shihab, that his programme which will be discussed by the president should include the method of integration and coordination among all institutions of higher, university and academic education in Egypt, regardless of the establishments to which they are affiliated or their specialization, in order to realize integration and raise the standard of all institution of higher, university and academic education.

The Minister of Information said that Dr. Bahaa Eddin presented to President Mubarak a five-year (2002/2007) plan and the main components of the plan which concentrate on improving secondary education, investment in early childhood education and strengthening achievements which were realised in the march of education reform during the past 10 years.

Dr. Bahaa Al din presented the main education orientations and strategies of the plan and the training skills and scientific skills. He stressed that the plan of the ministry calls for strengthening the technology of education through the intensification of spreading developed information and space transmission of education channels, electronic education and providing computers at the rate of one computer for every ten students.

The plan also included a strategy for distinguished education for all and raising the standard of the education system in Egypt to world level.

The Minister of Information said that as regards school buildings, one of the important items included in the plan was the gradual cancellation of the system of education in periods at schools and the provision of the needs to re-introduce the 6th grade in primary education and full accommodation of children who are in the obligatory stage of education.

Minister of Information Safwat Al Sherif said that the Minister of Education reviewed the achievements realised in the past 6 months. He said that 370 schools were built and bids were invited to build 2,000 new schools.

The Minister of Education referred to the technological development which was realised on completing vertical expansion in schools numbering 25,100.

The schools were provided with 7345 computers and 1540 schools were provided with equipment to receive television education channels. The number of equipped schools rose to 17,000.

The Minister of Information said that Dr. Bahaa Eddin, in his exposition of the plan, referred to reduction of density in classes and annexation of the kinder garten stage to the basic education stage and building new schools to replace old ones and giving attention to building schools in deprived areas.

Here President Mubarak stressed that these areas should be given priority.

The Minister of Education explained that the five-year plan calls for building 2,000 government schools annually in addition to building 300 government modern experimental schools annually and 300 cooperative schools at the rate of 50 schools annually.

The plan also included producing programmes and education technology and advanced curricula and a plan to raise the level of technological advance in education through the provision of 150,000 computers.

The Minister also explained means of raising the standard of teachers. He referred to sending teachers for training abroad and at home and raising the level of training under the five-year r2002/2007) plan.

The Minister of Education presented a plan for the development and strengthening of the education for all girls in Egypt by the end of 2005 and closing the gap between rural and urban areas in order to expand the introduction of modern techniques.

The Minister of Education also presented a five-years plan to eradicate illiteracy and provide adult education.

The plan aims at eradicating illiteracy in a period of four to five years at the rate of 2.5-3 million persons annually.

The Minister of Information said that foremost among the indicators presented Bahaa Eddin in the third five-years plan was that, as regards school buildings, a total of 7500 new schools were built and equipped at a cost of 6.3 billion pounds.

An additional 3728 schools were completed and operated. This brings the total number of schools built during the period 1992-2002 up to 11,228 schools.

The Minister of Education said that, for the first time, video conference network was set up and covered 37 centres.

Space education channels were also introduced in Egypt for the first time.

Seven education channels were established up to 1997. A total of 15,346 schools receive educational programmes.

The number of hours of transmission reached 100 hours daily.

They include 225 programmes which are repeated for the benefit of those who study in the morning and in the evening.

Sherif said that the Minister of Education said at the meeting that a study showed space channels and education programmes play a big role in the education process in addition to education programmes for teachers.

The Minister of Information said that President Mubarak gave attention to following up programmes to raise the educational level as regards internal missions which numbered 12,000 missions and outside missions which numbered about 8500 missions up to September 2001.

As regards school books, President Mubarak stressed the importance of improving the printing of schools books.

The Minister of Education said that 1925 books, covering all curricula, were developed up to 2002 of which 425,938 copies were printed.

President Mubarak discussed in detail the development of technical education. Dr Bahaa Eddin explained that as regards the Mubarak-Khol project, the number of schools participating in it rose to 38 up to 31/12/2001.

A total of 8400 students attended and the number of factories which took part in the project reached 800 factories.

A total of 22 cities participate in the project and the number of professions on which training is provided reached 18.

The Minister of Education said that the African Development Bank project to develop industrial schools has realised the development of 293 schools and set up four specialised schools.

Equipment to the value of 250 million pounds were supplied to schools under the project.

Minister of Information Safwat Al Sherif said that foremost among the education indicators presented to President Mubarak at the meeting, was a discussion of the education budget which rose to 20.4 billion pounds in 2001/2002 compared to 3.6 billion pounds in 91/92 against about 660 million pounds in 1981/1982.

The number of schools built up to 2000/2002 reached 33,880 compared to 25,616 in 91/92.

There were 15,180,000 students in the various stages of education in 2000/2001 compared to 12,012,000 in 91/92.

Students accommodated in general education in 2000/2001 represented 91.9 percent compared to 75 percent in 92/93.

Accommodation at Al Azhar reached about 7.7 percent in 2000/2001 bringing net total accommodation in 2000/2001 to 99.6 percent.

Illiteracy dropped from 49.4 percent of the total population in 1986 to 31.9 percent in 2001.

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