The Minister of Education Attends a Discussion Session on the Results of the National Program
Mr. Mohamed Abdel Latif, Minister of Education and Technical Education, attended a discussion session to review the executive summary of the first phase of the National Program for the Development of Arabic Language Skills for Primary School Students. The session was held during a celebration marking the completion of the first phase of the national program and the launch of the second phase, in partnership with UNICEF and with support from the German Development Bank (KfW).
Participating in the discussion session were Mr. Shiraz Chakra, Head of the Education Division at UNICEF; Dr. Ramadan Mohamed Ramadan, Assistant Minister for Examinations and Educational Evaluation; and Dr. Hala Abdel Salam, Head of the Central Administration for General Education. The session was moderated by media personality Osama Kamal.
During the discussion session, Mr. Mohamed Abdel Latif, Minister of Education and Technical Education, emphasized the Ministry's unwavering commitment to eliminating the problem of poor literacy among our students and ensuring that no student graduates from the education system without possessing basic reading and comprehension skills.
The Minister pointed out that, within the framework of a comprehensive plan extending through 2027, and in less than two years, the Ministry is working to address the root causes of the problem by developing teaching methods and training teachers. In this context, the Ministry has been able to address the challenges of overcrowding in classrooms, in cooperation with international partners and relevant social organizations.
The Minister explained that the challenges are significant. In the past, we faced a crisis resulting from a lack of teacher training and an increase in the number of students in classrooms, which impacted reading and writing levels. However, thanks to reform policies and the efforts of all parties, we have succeeded in significantly reducing these challenges.
The discussion session witnessed the launch of the second phase of the National Program for the Development of Arabic Language Skills, which emphasized the importance of motivating teachers participating in the program, as well as supporting the National Program for the Development of Arabic Language Skills and its implementation in other governorates to include all governorates of the republic, and including students with disabilities in the next phase.
The Minister said, "Today, we are working steadily to consolidate "literacy," meaning empowering every student with the ability to read, understand, and express themselves correctly, thus opening up horizons for learning and active participation in society."
He emphasized that the Ministry's focus is not only on developing reading and writing skills, but also on developing students' technological skills, which we have already begun implementing, including learning programming and artificial intelligence on the latest global platform in cooperation with our partners in Japan. He also emphasized the development of technical education, which aims to transform it into an international education, not a local one, in cooperation with our partners in Italy, Germany, and Japan.
The Minister concluded his remarks by stating that these efforts reflect a clear vision for the future of education, based on building individuals capable of lifelong learning, supported by cognitive and linguistic skills that ensure excellence and competitiveness.
During the discussion session, Dr. Ramadan Mohamed, Assistant Minister for Examinations and Educational Evaluation, emphasized that studies conducted by the National Center for Examinations on fourth-grade primary school students revealed that 45% of students have reading and Arabic language difficulties. This is where the idea for the program began, in collaboration with the Public Education Sector and UNICEF. Ten governorates were selected based on the assessments, and the Arabic language skills of 490,000 students in 59 educational administrations in those governorates were measured. 2,000 supervisors were also trained to support the educational process.
Dr. Ramadan explained that students who score less than 60% on the Arabic language assessment require assistance and enrollment in a remedial program. This is in addition to ongoing monitoring by the Education Sector and the National Examinations Center. Various strategies, including games and competitions, are also used to engage and motivate students during the 60 hours of instruction. This is complemented by ongoing data analysis to monitor the development of five basic skills: reading letters and words, reading written text, understanding written text (phonemic awareness), fluency in pronunciation, and spelling.
In her remarks during the session, Dr. Hala Abdel Salam, Head of the Central Administration for General Education, emphasized that one of the biggest challenges faced by Minister Mohamed Abdel Latif, Minister of Education, was the overcrowding of classrooms and the shortage of teachers. These challenges were overcome with unconventional solutions that paved the way for the launch of this project.
She added that the most significant challenge was the Arabic language skills development program, which was designed to suit the Egyptian context. Experts and stakeholders from the Ministry convened to develop it, and teachers were then trained in schools on how to work with children. This was followed by extensive training via the Ministry's platform, which included the qualification of 5,000 Arabic language teachers.
She also noted that raising awareness among parents was a major challenge, which was addressed in partnership with UNICEF and relevant authorities by organizing discussion and awareness sessions in educational directorates.
She explained that the time challenge was overcome by developing comprehensive plans by directorate directors to operate educational centers for students and organize therapeutic programs in which students participate with their parents, enhancing the program's success and sustainability.
For his part, Shiraz Shakira, UNICEF Egypt Chief of Education, said that speaking about this program is a true honor, emphasizing that the partnership with the Ministry of Education represents a successful model of cooperation in developing the education system.
He explained that UNICEF is deeply grateful for the trust the Ministry has placed in it, which has given the organization the opportunity to provide its added value within this distinguished partnership.
He added that through joint work with the Ministry of Education, the organization was able to accurately analyze the figures and find impressive results worthy of consideration.
He pointed out that the evaluations conducted included all children participating in the program, both at the beginning and end, which provided a clear view of the difference achieved in performance.