Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has made education a top priority since taking office, noting that significant steps have been taken to reform the sector.
Madbouly made the remarks during a session titled “What Are Our Children Learning, and Does It Prepare Them for the Future?” on the first day of Egypt Forum 2026, held under the theme “A Look at Today, a Vision for Tomorrow” under the auspices of President al-Sisi.E
The session was attended by Minister of Education and Technical Education Mohamed Abdel Latif, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Acting Minister of Culture Abdel Aziz Konsowa, House of Representatives Education and Scientific Research Committee Chairman Ashraf al-Shehy, as well as university presidents, heads of educational institutions, academics, education experts, private-sector and civil society representatives, students and parents.
At the beginning, Madbouly welcomed the participants, stressing that education is a top priority for the Egyptian state, which recognizes that a country’s progress is measured by the quality of its education system and its ability to prepare young people to meet the demands of the modern era.
He noted that improving education was a major challenge worldwide, not just in Egypt, pointing out that even advanced countries were taking measures to address problems in their education systems, despite not facing the same scale of challenges that Egypt had encountered and continued to face.
Madbouly said education reform had been particularly challenging in Egypt, citing classrooms that previously accommodated between 100 and 150 students, a situation that made meaningful improvements in educational outcomes difficult to achieve.
He also noted that, according to international benchmarks cited during the discussion, there should be approximately one university for every million people. Egypt had around 50 universities in 2014, compared with approximately 131 today, serving a population of about 110 million.
He said the expansion represented significant progress in increasing access to higher education, while emphasizing that infrastructure development must go hand in hand with improvements in educational quality.
The Prime Minister added that curriculum reform had also been constrained by teacher shortages and the lack of adequate preparation among some teachers to deliver new curricula.
He stressed that education reform required sustained effort and could not be achieved overnight, particularly given the challenges that had accumulated over decades.
Madbouly said Egypt had made considerable progress in addressing fundamental problems in the education system, adding that the next phase would focus increasingly on improving educational quality and preparing young people to meet the rapidly evolving demands of the modern world.
He also discussed the new Baccalaureate system, noting that private and international schools had long offered students internationally recognized qualifications, including the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and American diplomas, which provide multiple opportunities to improve academic results.
By contrast, students in public schools following the traditional General Secondary Education Certificate system have generally had only one opportunity to determine their academic future.
Madbouly questioned the consequences for students who might be unable to perform well in examinations because of illness, accidents or other unforeseen circumstances.
He said he was deeply saddened each year by reports of students taking their own lives after failing to achieve their desired results in the secondary school examinations, which had come to be viewed by some as determining their entire future.
Acknowledging the considerable psychological pressure the system places on students and their families, Madbouly said the new Baccalaureate system seeks to provide public-school students with opportunities comparable to those available to their counterparts in private schools.
He also stressed the need for continuous curriculum development in response to rapid advances in scientific knowledge. Whereas curricula could previously remain unchanged for 10, 15 or even 20 years, the pace of change today requires regular review and updating.
He said curricula should be reassessed every three to four years to determine whether revisions are necessary, reiterating that improving educational quality would be a central priority in the coming period.
Madbouly said the government would continue developing all components of the education system, including educational projects, institutes and the teaching workforce.
He stressed that reform must produce tangible results and that education policies should respond to citizens’ concerns and address the challenges they face.
The prime minister also referred to concerns raised by citizens during his field visits regarding the status of Arabic and religious education in international schools and whether grades in these subjects should count towards students’ overall scores.
He said these concerns reflected parents’ anxieties about their children’s education, emphasizing that the issue extended beyond educational regulations to encompass the preservation of Egypt’s national identity and national security.
He questioned whether students in international schools had sufficient command of Arabic, describing it as the national language and the language of Egyptian society. He warned that declining attention to Arabic posed a challenge that required serious consideration because of its implications for national identity and security.
Madbouly stressed the need for state intervention to protect younger generations, strengthen their ties to their language and national culture, and reinforce Egyptian identity, while balancing openness to international education systems with the preservation of national values.
Turning to higher education, Madbouly addressed public concerns over the admission of international students to Egyptian universities and the potential implications for Egyptian students seeking places in highly competitive faculties, particularly medicine.
He said some parents questioned the fairness of admitting international students when Egyptian applicants with high grades were unable to secure places in certain faculties. He emphasized the importance of explaining the rules governing international student admissions to the public.
Referring to the higher education minister’s remarks, Madbouly said attracting international students was part of Egypt’s efforts to strengthen the global standing and international rankings of its universities. He noted that international student enrollment was among the factors considered in global university rankings, in accordance with the relevant assessment criteria.
He added that international students helped enhance the academic standing of Egyptian universities and strengthen their regional and global competitiveness, thereby supporting the international recognition of their degrees and their value in overseas labor markets.
Citing the German University in Cairo as an example of a university featured in international rankings, Madbouly said strengthening the global recognition of Egyptian universities and their qualifications required attention to ranking criteria as part of a comprehensive approach to higher education development.
He reaffirmed that these considerations should be taken into account when reviewing regulations governing international student admissions, while maintaining a balance between enhancing the global competitiveness of Egyptian universities and preserving opportunities for Egyptian students to enroll in various faculties.
Madbouly also described education as a key pillar of Egypt’s soft power, stressing the importance of developing Egyptian universities and attracting international students.
He said the benefits extended beyond education to strengthening Egypt’s relations with other countries by enabling international graduates to develop cultural and personal ties with Egyptian society and carry positive impressions of their studies and experiences in the country.
He noted that graduates of Egyptian universities might go on to occupy senior positions in their home countries, including as presidents, prime ministers and ministers, highlighting education’s role in building lasting relationships between Egypt and countries around the world.
Madbouly added that graduates who assume leadership positions in their home countries could help strengthen ties with Egypt, as the relationships and connections they develop during their years of study and residence in the country may endure long after graduation.
He concluded by stressing that education is a major component of a country’s soft power and that enhancing Egyptian universities’ ability to attract international students would help strengthen Egypt’s international presence.
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