The Minister of Education holds a press conference with education editors
Mr. Mohamed Abdel Latif, Minister of Education and Technical Education, held an extensive press conference with education editors from newspapers and websites. The conference reviewed the Ministry's recent efforts to ensure a successful start to the new academic year 2025/2026. The conference discussed the executive measures taken by the Ministry to develop the educational process, as well as future plans and directions within the Ministry's strategy for developing pre-university education.
At the beginning of the meeting, Minister Mohamed Abdel Latif emphasized that the Ministry is keen to strengthen effective communication with various media outlets, in implementation of the political leadership's directives to establish the principle of transparency and inform the public of developments in the educational process. He explained that this meeting reflects the national and responsible role played by the media in clarifying facts and conveying an accurate image to society.
The Minister of Education commended the dedicated efforts of newspaper and website editors in clarifying visions and conveying facts to the public, emphasizing that the media is a key partner in supporting the educational development process and enhancing community awareness of the developments and achievements witnessed in the pre-university education sector.
Based on the pivotal role of education editors in specialized newspapers and websites, the Minister confirmed that monthly tours will be organized across all governorates of the Republic, with the participation of education editors. These tours will be conducted to visit schools and monitor the progress of the educational process on the ground. This will ensure an accurate and transparent image is conveyed to the public and support ongoing development efforts. There will also be a regular meeting with education editors to review developments in the educational process, completed projects, and the Ministry's future plans.
During the meeting, the Minister reviewed the final preparations for the launch of the new 2025/2026 academic year, stressing that the Ministry has implemented a comprehensive plan to ensure a serious and disciplined start. He explained that maintenance and upgrades to schools have been completed nationwide to provide a safe and attractive learning environment for students, while ensuring that classroom density does not exceed fifty students, ensuring the quality of the educational process.
The Minister added that the Ministry pays special attention to the overall appearance of schools through landscaping, painting, and cleaning. In the same context, the Ministry has devoted great attention to internal maintenance work, having completed renovations covering more than 10,000 schools nationwide. These efforts will continue even during the school year, with the goal of improving the learning environment and ensuring school readiness. He emphasized that by the start of the new academic year, no school will have undergone comprehensive maintenance and internal renovations that are befitting of students and reflect a comprehensive, civilized image.
Minister Mohamed Abdel Latif confirmed that the Ministry is working in cooperation with the General Authority for Educational Buildings to implement a new strategy to expand classroom construction. Each educational district identifies its actual needs based on density rates, and these needs are reviewed by the Ministry to ensure efficient implementation.
Regarding evening shifts, the Minister confirmed that the Ministry is implementing a comprehensive plan aimed at completely ending the evening shift system in primary schools by September 2027, in cooperation with the General Authority for Educational Buildings. He explained that this step comes within the framework of ensuring a more stable and high-quality educational environment, ensuring the regularity of the educational process and improving the level of services provided to students.
The Minister of Education and Technical Education indicated that the Ministry is working to raise the quality of education in classrooms. A specialized unit for quality and measurement has been established, comprising approximately 2,800 retired educational leaders, to benefit from their accumulated experience. This unit is responsible for reviewing school quality through periodic visits to assess educational performance and monitor student achievement in classrooms, ensuring the development of the educational process and achieving discipline and quality.
The Minister also noted that the Ministry has placed great emphasis on developing reading and writing skills among primary school students, as they are the foundation upon which the educational process is built. He explained that there is a national plan extending until 2027 aimed at radically eliminating the problem of poor literacy.
Regarding regular school attendance, the Minister of Education and Technical Education explained that the average student attendance rate last year was approximately 89% throughout the academic year. He emphasized that the year's work will be directly linked to attendance and active participation in classrooms, enhancing discipline and the quality of the educational process.
Regarding curricula, the Minister explained that 94 curricula have been developed. He explained that the development of curricula is taking place according to a comprehensive plan that takes into account modern international standards and aims to build student character, develop critical and creative thinking skills, and enhance academic achievement. He emphasized that all intellectual property rights for the curricula are owned by the Egyptian state, represented by the Ministry of Education.
The Minister also explained that all new curricula have been made available in digital versions on the Ministry's official website, making them accessible to teachers, students, and parents, facilitating access to educational content at any time.
Regarding textbooks, the Minister confirmed that textbooks are solely the responsibility of the Ministry, and that no textbooks may be purchased from outside the Ministry. He added that the Ministry has completed the provision of printed textbooks for assessments in all academic subjects, as a new step aimed at alleviating the financial and emotional burdens on Egyptian families and unifying assessment tools nationwide.