Education Ministry, Confucius Institute Ink MoU to Teach Chinese Language

Minister of International Cooperation Dr. Rania Al-Mashat witnessed on Monday the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Education and Confucius Institute in China that lasts for six years and is perpetually renewed.

The MoU will aim to provide the Chinese language as an optional foreign language subject to be taught in preparatory and secondary schools in pre-university education, according to a statement by the International Cooperation Ministry.

Al-Mashat said that a specialized center will be launched in Egypt to teach the Chinese language for students by experts in the Chinese language and that a Chinese curriculum will be developed for it to be taught in schools.

[caption id="attachment_148136" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Dr. Rania Al-Mashat[/caption]

She added that this will help achieve Goal 4 for quality education according to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), by ensuring that Egyptian learners acquire additional knowledge and skills needed to increase their life and job opportunities and expand their horizons.

This comes within the signing of the Egyptian-Chinese strategic partnership agreement, which saw an exchange of visits between the two leaders in 2014 to deepen the relations between the two countries and Egypt's participation in the Belt-Silk Road conference since the start of the initiative in 2017.

The minister underscored the strength of diplomatic relations between Egypt and China during the past 64 years, which covers all economic, political, economic, cultural, and scientific aspects, and that ministry is seeking to strengthen collaboration between the two countries through the “Global Partnerships for Effective Development” platform to support the 2030 national development agenda and the achievement of the UN sustainable development goals.

[caption id="attachment_148137" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] The Inking Ceremony between Education Ministry and Confucius Institute[/caption]

The ministry has been keen on pushing the frontiers of collaboration through economic diplomacy through 3 key principles: multi-stakeholder platforms, global partnerships narrative and ODA SDG Mapping to ensure progress and coordinated action in development.

Within the framework of Egypt's and Chinese cooperation to combat the COVID-19 crisis, Al-Mashat revived the spirit of solidarity between the two countries as President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi launched an initiative to send 10 tons of medical aid and preventive supplies to China in February 2020, and the Chinese side also coordinated for medical cooperation and exchange of experience, as well as the donation of 3 shipments of protective supplies to the Ministry of Health during April and May 2020.

The cooperation portfolio with China amounts to $1.835 billion, which includes financing in transport and housing sectors, and around 335 million non-refundable grants in higher education, scientific research, technical education, and space technology.

Putting Egyptians’ education at the core, cooperation between Egypt and China amounts to around $20 million, which saw the implementation of several projects such as the Egyptian-Chinese Friendship School in 6th of October City and the Kafr Mosleha Primary School in Menoufia Governorate, as well as a Chinese grant to the Ministry of Education to implement a project to develop the online learning system through the Chinese company ZTE.