The Minister of Education reviews the strategy for developing technical education and the Ministry’s plan
Dr. Reda Hegazy, Minister of Education and Technical Education, participated today in the plenary session of the Senate. To clarify the government’s policy, represented by the Ministry of Education and Technical Education, regarding applied technology schools, in particular the plan to expand their establishment, and the scope of their geographical distribution.
This came in the presence of Counselor Alaa El-Din Fouad, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Counselor Abdel-Wahab Abdel-Razek, President of the Senate, distinguished members of the Senate, Dr. Mohamed Mujahid, Deputy Minister of Education for Technical Education, and Dr. Amr Basila, Head of the Central Administration for the Development of Technical Education, and Director of the Operation and Management Unit. Schools of Applied Technology and Walid Maher, Director General of the General Administration of Political Communication at the Ministry.
Dr. Reda Hegazy expressed his keenness to participate in these meetings that contribute to clarifying visions, stressing the important and supportive role of the Senate in developing the educational process in Egypt.
In his speech, Dr. Reda Hegazy, Minister of Education and Technical Education, stressed that the issue at hand deserves discussion and dialogue, as there is no doubt that technical education is linked to the economy.
The Minister pointed out that the Ministry has developed the vision and strategic plan for education (2024-2029), which emerged from several main axes (people, employment, protecting security, and achieving sustainable development goals), and one of the goals of the plan is to develop technical education, followed by the executive plan, stressing that When there is a clearly defined plan, there is a concerted effort and growth among the various parties for sustainability, pointing out that a community dialogue has been organized for this plan.
The minister said that the mental image of technical education in Egypt has completely changed, and the evidence for this is that students who apply to applied technology schools have high grades in the preparatory certificate, and there are waiting lists for these schools, which requires expanding their numbers, and these students are reserved to work before they graduate. Students who graduate from schools of applied technology can directly enroll in technological universities and thus obtain a bachelor’s degree without the need to obtain an equivalency.
Dr. Reda Hegazy reviewed the strategy for developing technical education, and the ministry’s plan to expand the number of applied technology schools and institutionalize them in a way that ensures their sustainability. He stressed that a diagnosis of the problems facing Egyptian technical education had begun, according to the World Bank report that was prepared during the period 2012-2014, which included that technical education In Egypt, priority is given to the number of graduates and not to the quality of their education, the difficulty of moving from school to the labor market, the existence of problems in governance and financing, and a closed path for graduates to enroll in higher education, in addition to the negative societal image of technical education among students and parents.
The Minister added that, based on this, a separate article was drafted in the 2014 constitution for technical education, which stipulated that the state is committed to encouraging, developing, and expanding technical education and vocational training in all its types in accordance with international quality standards and in a manner commensurate with the needs of the labor market.
The Minister continued that the foundations of the technical education development strategy - June 2018 - were established, which included improving quality assurance of technical education programs by establishing an independent academy, rebuilding technical education curricula based on the competency methodology, training technical education teachers to teach the new curricula and evaluating their students, and involving the private sector. In developing technical education, as well as improving the mental image of technical education among students and parents.
The Minister explained that the concept of the competency methodology used in rebuilding technical education curricula is based on sustainable skills, professional skills, and knowledge.
The Minister of Education reviewed the total number of technical education learners in Egypt, which amounts to 3 million students, including 2.3 million students in 2,700 schools affiliated with the Ministry of Education and Technical Education, noting that the number of students in the Ministry of Education and Technical Education is divided into 1.10 million students in industrial education. In (1330) schools, 0.86 million students in commercial education in (970) schools, 0.28 million students in agricultural education in (270) schools, and 0.06 million students in hotel education in (115) schools.
As for the number of students in non-formal technical education in the Ministries of Solidarity, Housing, and Labor, it reaches 0.4 million students, at a rate of (13%), and in the Ministries of Trade and Industry, Health, and Population, 0.3 million students, at a rate of (10%).
Dr. Reda Hegazy also pointed out the development of the number of applied technology schools from 2018 to 2023. In 2018, the number of schools reached 3, and in 2019, the number of schools reached 11, while in 2020 it reached 16 schools, and the number of schools reached in 2019. 2021 to 28 schools, and in 2022 the number of schools reached 52, and in 2023 the number of schools reached 71 schools in 18 governorates.
The Minister also explained that the main foundations of the applied technology schools system are the application of international quality standards, a partnership between the public and private sectors, a teacher trained at the highest level, a productive and globally competitive student, curricula based on a competency system, a comprehensive evaluation system for the student and teacher, and practical training that qualifies according to The latest developments in the labor market, and rewarding financial incentives for teachers.
The Minister indicated that the Ministry will hold a meeting with development partners on the 14th of this month. To clarify our needs to develop the educational system in Egypt, explaining that Egypt has become a member of the Global Education Partnership, which will contribute to achieving integration between partners and not repetition.
The Minister added that we have challenges that we are working to overcome, including the lack of demand for commercial education, so the Ministry is working to add new specializations to commercial education, and to focus on supporting the skills of technical education graduates in English, German, and Italian through cooperation protocols with many bodies, in addition to To reform the capital production project in industrial and agricultural education by working with self-resources in workshops and farms with this type of school, adding that the Ministry is interested in encouraging the private sector to invest in the field of technical education by opening private schools for technical education, for example, which guarantees the success of these schools as a result. Changing the mental image of technical education in Egypt, in addition to the extensive use of digitization in curricula by introducing technology and making websites, barcodes, etc. available.
The Minister also thanked the Federation of Industries in Egypt and the Al-Suwaidi Foundation for providing 100 sites to establish 100 schools, to expand applied technology schools.
In another context, the Minister indicated that the Ministry is in the process of developing the secondary stage, and launching the national conference for community dialogue on developing secondary stage curricula, which comes under the auspices of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Republic, with the participation of all parties related to the educational system locally and internationally to listen and discuss all opinions. To reach the best mechanisms for developing the secondary school system in a way that achieves the benefit of students and relieves the suffering of families and is consistent with the requirements of the labor market and international competitiveness, pointing out that the Ministry does not work alone and this is done in cooperation with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
Dr. Reda Hegazy stressed that the general vision for developing the secondary stage system is based on giving the student more than one opportunity through multiple assessment attempts, in addition to the importance of multiple tracks and the freedom to choose between them in a way that suits each student, his inclinations and abilities.
At the conclusion of his speech, the Minister thanked the President of the Senate and the representatives, stressing the importance of development through a strategic plan and an operating plan to complete development in the curricula, as the primary stage curricula have been completed, and the general framework for the preparatory stage curricula has been completed, which focuses on improving the quality of students. And their families.