Minister of Education and UNICEF Representative Launch from Aswan the "National Program for Developing Reading
Mr. Mohamed Abdel Latif, Minister of Education and Technical Education, and Ms. Natalia Rossi, UNICEF Representative in Egypt, launched today during activities in Aswan Governorate, the "National Program for Developing Reading and Writing Skills for Primary School Students", which is being implemented in 10 governorates as a first phase and includes 2,000 schools with a total of one million male and female students in primary school.
The governorates targeted for implementing the program as a first phase include Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Fayoum, Assiut, Sohag, Aswan, North Sinai, Damietta, and Ismailia.
This came in the presence of Ambassador Michele Quaroni, Ambassador of Italy to Egypt, leaders of the ministry, and directors of education directorates participating in the program.
At the beginning of his speech, Minister Mohamed Abdel Latif welcomed Ms. Natalia Rossi, UNICEF Representative in Egypt, Mr. Michele Quaroni, Ambassador of Italy to Egypt, education leaders, and partners, praising their vital role in cooperation with the Ministry in shaping the future of Egypt's students.
The Minister expressed his happiness with this meeting held in Aswan Governorate, the city of unique beauty and ancient history, and Egypt's southern gateway to Africa, where every stone tells the story of a civilization that has withstood time, in addition to the generosity of its people, and their good spirit that reflects the spirit of hospitality and generosity that Egypt is always famous for.
The Minister of Education said: "Today we witness together the launch of the activities of the National Program for Developing Reading and Writing Skills for Primary School Students, which is the result of a strategic partnership between the Ministry of Education and UNICEF, reflecting our joint commitment to improving the quality of education and empowering future generations," stressing that the program is in line with Egypt's Vision 2030 for Sustainable Development and the outcomes of the Education Transformation Summit 2022 in New York, where reading was recognized as a fundamental pillar of education transformation.
Minister Mohamed Abdel Latif pointed out that through sincere efforts and strategic work, many chronic challenges that have persisted for decades have been overcome, by implementing a number of solutions that resulted in reducing class density rates to less than (50 students) per class through strategic space management, hiring and training more than 90% of the required teachers, through innovative solutions, and implementing continuous formative assessments at all educational levels, adding that these measures contributed to increasing school attendance rates to more than (85%) compared to less than (9%) in the last academic year.
The Minister of Education explained that there are still existing challenges, as national assessments indicated that many students still face difficulties in basic reading and writing skills, noting that this challenge is not limited to Egypt only, but throughout the Middle East and North Africa region, as studies indicate that a large percentage of students are unable to read and understand age-appropriate texts by the age of ten.
In this regard, the Minister noted that this program is a key component of the Ministry's broader strategy to improve the quality of education and reform curricula, and is designed to reach 2,000 schools, benefiting one million children in 10 governorates, explaining that the targeted governorates were selected based on the results of national assessments, and the program content was developed in cooperation between the Ministry's experts and Egyptian universities.
The Minister added that the success of the program requires the efforts of dedicated teachers, community participation, and strong partnerships, noting that through this partnership, we empower teachers through advanced professional development and training, and provide essential support to educational institutions to ensure the sustainability of the program, in addition to developing curricula and learning materials to enhance student interaction and understanding, stressing that the responsibility does not fall on one institution, but requires the combination of all efforts, so that we can ensure equitable access to quality education.
At the end of his speech, the Minister expressed his thanks and appreciation to UNICEF, all partners, and stakeholders who contributed to the launch of this promising program.
The Minister also extended his sincere thanks and appreciation to all educational leaders, teachers and directors of education directorates for their sincere efforts in the success of the mechanisms and overcoming the challenges facing the educational process during the current academic year at the governorate level, stressing that the success of this program depends on mobilizing all efforts and enhancing close cooperation between all concerned parties to implement it in the best way and through scientific mechanisms, and insistence on implementation to raise the level of students.
Minister Mohamed Abdel Latif stressed that he is keen for every male and female student in Egypt to be proficient in reading and writing, noting that the goal is to build an aware and educated generation capable of achieving its ambitions and contributing to building its country and raising its status.
For her part, Ms. Natalia Rossi, Representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Egypt, expressed her deep appreciation for the efforts made to improve children's reading and writing skills, noting that the ability to read and understand is not just a skill, but rather the foundation on which the child's future is built, and opens up horizons of opportunities and potential for him.
“This is my first field visit as UNICEF Representative in Egypt, a stop where I can witness the progress being made for children, meet those who are leading this change with dedication and sincerity, and feel the real impact of these efforts on the ground,” said the UNICEF Representative. “The tireless work being done to improve children’s literacy skills across Egypt gives me hope and inspiration, as learning is not just the ability to read and write, but the foundation on which all other knowledge is built.”