Minister of Education Discusses Strengthening Joint Cooperation in  Education with Delegation of French Senate 

Mr. Mohamed Abdel Latif, Minister of Education and Technical Education, received a delegation of members of the French Senate Education and Culture Committee to discuss ways to enhance joint cooperation in the fields of education and technical education.

The French delegation included Mr. Laurent Lafont, Chair of the Committee; Ms. Catherine Morin-Dessaye, Vice-Chair of the Committee; Ms. Laure Darcos, Senator; Ms. Béatrice Gosselin, Senator; Mr. Jacques Grosperand, Senator; Mr. Pierre-Antoine Levy, Senator; Ms. Marie-Pierre Monnier, Senator; Mr. Mathieu Thioran, Senate Administration Official and Head of the Committee's Service; Mr. David Sadoulet, Counselor for Cooperation and Cultural Affairs at the French Embassy in Cairo; and Mr. Daniel Ringo, Educational Cooperation Attaché. Dr. Ahmed Daher, Deputy Minister, also attended from the Ministry of Education.

At the beginning of the meeting, Minister Mohamed Abdel Latif emphasized the strong historical relations between Egypt and France, especially in the field of education. He noted the presence of well-established French schools in Egypt, expressing his aspiration to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in the fields of general and technical education and expand the number of French schools in Egypt.

The Minister expressed his aspiration to establish Egyptian-French schools in Egypt, noting that the Ministry aims to establish approximately 100 Egyptian-French schools.

Regarding technical education, the Minister expressed his desire to implement a model similar to the existing cooperation with Italy in applied technology schools, which aims to prepare and qualify graduates in cooperation with international partners and grant them internationally accredited certificates that qualify them to work in the local and international markets. He emphasized his aspiration to enhance cooperation with the French side in implementing this model.

The Minister also expressed his aspiration to strengthen cooperation with the French side in agricultural technical schools, with the French side undertaking academic and technical supervision and granting accredited certificates to graduates.

For his part, Mr. Laurent Laffont, head of the French delegation, expressed his appreciation for Egypt's achievements in the field of education, emphasizing that the committee is concerned with all matters related to education and culture.

Mr. Laurent Laffont affirmed France's commitment to strengthening its cultural presence in Egypt, based on what President Emmanuel Macron announced during his visit to Cairo last April. He noted that this was reflected in the immediate steps taken to strengthen educational and cultural ties between the two countries.

Regarding technical education, the French side expressed great interest in Egypt's efforts to develop technical education and establish applied technology schools. He noted that France has implemented a successful model for agricultural education since the 1960s, which has contributed to increased agricultural productivity and remains in effect to this day. He emphasized that Egypt's proposal for applied technology schools represents a strong opportunity to enhance further cooperation between the two sides.

The French delegation concluded the meeting by thanking Minister Mohamed Abdel Latif for his keenness to strengthen cooperation, expressing their aspiration to achieve further partnerships in the coming period.