UK, UNICEF Contribute to Supporting Education in Egypt

By Nawal Sayed

CAIRO, Feb. 4 (SEE) - Egyptian

Minister of Education Dr. Tarek Shawky, British Ambassador to Egypt, Sir

Jeffrey Adams, UNICEF Representative in Egypt, Bruno Mays launched, in a formal

ceremony held on Sunday, a three-year joint project entitled "Integrated

Educational Services for Most Needy Children in Egypt."

The British Foreign Office allocated 276 million Egyptian pounds to the project, which aims at contributing to the current educational reform process and improving the quality of educational services in Egypt, according to a statement issued by United Nations Information Center in Cairo.

Shawki said that "this

project comes in line with the ministry's commitment to transforming the

Egyptian education system."

"Introduction of new curricula and development of teaching tools, schools and evaluation standards to suit these curricula are all essential and easy to carry out," he added.

"They aim at changing the face of education in Egypt and improving the educational experiences of our students in a positive way."

The new educational system began

in the current academic year 2018/2019 and will replace the existing system

gradually.

By 2030, 'Education 2.0' will be

the only national education system in place from pre-primary to secondary

education.

On his part, British Ambassador to

Egypt Sir Jeffrey Adams said that "today we are launching a project that

is an investment in Egypt's students and their future."

"The United Kingdom has

always been a partner of Egypt in this area, and today we continue to fulfill

our commitment and expand this partnership to support the Egyptian government

in reforming the educational system," Adams added.

"The education system (2.0)

is a priority and a process of utmost importance to Egypt, and UNICEF will

spare no effort to support the Ministry of Education and Technical Education in

achieving the goal of quality education and equal opportunity for every

child," said Bruno Mays, UNICEF Representative in Egypt.

Mays stressed that "with the

support of the British Foreign Office, we focus on refining what schools can

offer, which includes - in addition to teaching - extracurricular activities

and the interaction of parents and communities with the education system."

Over a period of three years, the

project will reach more than 80,000 students in the areas most in need through

targeted technical support to 550 primary schools, 12,000 teachers, 3,000

supervisors and school principals.