Egypt is collaborating with Japan’s Kyoto Ikueikan Educational Group to transform 20 technical schools into international applied technology institutions specialising in nursing, elderly care, and information technology by the next academic year.
Minister of Education and Technical Education Mohamed Abdel Latif met on Sunday with Hidetaka Matsuo, CEO of the Kyoto Ikueikan Educational Group, alongside a delegation from the Kyoto University of Nursing and Health Sciences, to follow up on the executive steps of the cooperation agreement.
The initiative will upgrade 10 nursing schools, five information technology schools, and five elderly care schools. Abdel Latif explained that the upgraded institutions will operate on an integrated model based on Japanese curricula and standards, with laboratories and training facilities equipped to match Japan’s education and training systems.
The agreement, which Abdel Latif signed during a recent visit to Japan, marks the first cooperation of its kind between the two nations in the field of technical education. The minister highlighted the depth of Egyptian-Japanese relations, noting that broader educational cooperation is continually evolving, with the number of Egyptian-Japanese schools now reaching 103.
Matsuo expressed his pride in cooperating with Egypt and commended the ministry’s dedication to developing technical education. He affirmed the group’s commitment to supporting Egyptian technical education and preparing qualified cadres by providing opportunities to study and gain experience in Japan, enabling them to return and contribute to national development.
The two sides discussed the executive steps required to equip and raise the efficiency of the targeted schools, alongside the proposed educational and training programmes, agreeing to continue coordination to ensure classes commence next year.
The Japanese delegation included Yang Yong Chun, Director of International Affairs at the Ikueikan Educational Foundation, and Amani Takeda, Associate Professor at Ikueikan University.
Egyptian officials in attendance included Deputy Minister Ayman Bahaa El-Din; Yasser Osman, the Minister’s Advisor for International Relations and Agreements; and Amal Refaat, Executive Director of the Hiroshima Teacher Training Program and the Minister’s Advisor for Egyptian-Japanese Relations.