Egyptian Education

The Egyptian government has placed major emphasis on education. Educationalist leaders believe that the entire population should have a cost-free education. A considerable portion of the state budget has gone into education which has resulted in enormous increases in the number of students. Nevertheless, illiteracy remains a serious problem in Egypt.

Although education is free in state institutions at all levels, many children of compulsory schools age fail to attend classes.

Elementary education lasts for nine years. It is designed to provide the reading and writing skills necessary for a literate citizenry. Secondary education emphasizes either technical training or academic studies. This Academic curriculum leads to admittance to a university. Education is under the direction of the Ministry of Education. The country is divided into education authorities and zones, each zone's council is entrusted with the all of the administrative responsibility.

Private schools have played a major role in Egypt; especially in the education of women. Since most private schools were run by British, American, and French missions,the state was apprehensive about them. The growth of nationalism led to a demand for their control,and in 1948, the government passed regulations compelling private schools to provide instruction in Arabic.

One of the growing glories of Egypt is its university system. The country has a dozen major universities and specialized institutes. The first modern Egyptian university was the university of Cairo founded in 1908. The American University in Cairo is a private institution.

WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED BY: SANDY ARAGON

 

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