Egyptian Minister of Education Mohamed Abdel Latif met with Japanese Ambassador to Egypt Fumio Iwai and representatives from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to discuss ways to strengthen educational cooperation between the two countries. The meeting aimed to build on the existing partnership and explore new areas of collaboration. Abdel Latif emphasized the importance of the Egyptian-Japanese partnership in education, highlighting its positive impact on the Egyptian education system.
The Egyptian-Japanese partnership in education has been growing steadily, with a focus on introducing Japanese educational practices and curricula in Egyptian schools. The partnership includes the establishment of Egyptian-Japanese schools, which currently number 103 across Egypt. These schools offer a unique educational model that combines the Egyptian curriculum with Japanese activities, such as "Tokatsu," aimed at developing students' skills and values.
Minister Abdel Latif announced that Egypt aims to increase the number of Egyptian-Japanese schools to 500 by 2030, in line with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's directives. He also revealed plans to introduce Japanese language instruction in 10 schools, building on the success of the Egyptian-Japanese educational model. The Japanese side expressed its commitment to supporting Egypt's education sector and expanding cooperation in various areas.
The meeting also discussed cooperation in teacher training and development, including the Egyptian-Japanese "Tokatsu" diploma program in partnership with Fukui University. The program aims to train around 320 teachers, while another program with Hiroshima University provides advanced training for teachers over a full academic year. These initiatives aim to enhance the skills and competencies of Egyptian teachers.
The Egyptian and Japanese sides also reviewed cooperation in curriculum development, including the update of mathematics and science curricula for primary education. They also discussed plans to develop curricula for the Egyptian Baccalaureate in partnership with Japanese experts. These efforts aim to improve the quality of education and learning outcomes in Egypt.
The partnership between Egypt and Japan also covers emerging areas such as programming and artificial intelligence, with the introduction of the Japanese "Kirio" platform. Additionally, the two countries are working together to promote financial literacy among high school students in partnership with Hiroshima University and the Japanese organization "Sprex." These initiatives aim to equip students with the skills required for the future job market.
The meeting concluded with an agreement to continue building on the existing cooperation and to expand the Egyptian-Japanese educational partnership. Both sides emphasized the importance of ensuring the quality of implementation and exploring new areas of cooperation to maximize the impact of this partnership on the Egyptian education system.
Key points
- Egypt and Japan plan to increase the number of Egyptian-Japanese schools to 500 by 2030.
