Minister of Education Discusses Ways to Enhance Cooperation with Japanese Parliamentary
Mr. Mohamed Abdel Latif, Minister of Education and Technical Education, met with a delegation from the Japanese Parliament and Ambassador Iwai Fumio, the Japanese Ambassador to Egypt, following a visit to the Egyptian-Japanese School in Obour City. The meeting focused on ways to further enhance cooperation between the two sides in various educational fields.
At the outset of the meeting, Minister Abdel Latif emphasized the depth of the strategic relations between Egypt and Japan and their continuous development, particularly in the field of education. He praised Japan's advanced expertise in education and its effective support for developing the Egyptian educational system. He also affirmed the Ministry's commitment to expanding areas of cooperation to benefit students and enhance the quality of education.
The Minister pointed out that educational cooperation between Egypt and Japan stemmed from a shared vision, which was strengthened during the visit of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to Japan. This visit included a tour of a Japanese school, where His Excellency gained firsthand insight into the Japanese educational philosophy. The Minister emphasized that this visit marked a significant starting point for transferring this advanced educational vision to Egypt and leveraging its principles to build human capital, develop skills, and instill values within the educational system.
The Minister explained that the Ministry of Education and Technical Education has developed a comprehensive strategy for developing the education system. In light of this strategic vision, Japan was designated as a key partner in the field of education, given its established expertise and integrated approach to human development and educational advancement, which aligns with the priorities and future goals of the Egyptian state.
The Minister of Education noted that more than seven cooperation agreements have been signed with the Japanese side over the past year and a half, as part of strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries in the field of education.
Minister Mohamed Abdel Latif stated that the number of Egyptian-Japanese schools currently stands at 79, and the Ministry aims to increase this to between 90 and 100 schools by the start of the new academic year. He noted the President's directives to expand this model to 500 schools within five years, emphasizing that Egyptian-Japanese schools represent a successful educational model that the Ministry seeks to build upon and share its expertise with other African and Middle Eastern countries, within the framework of strengthening regional cooperation and exchanging educational experiences.
The Minister also addressed cooperation in developing curricula, particularly in mathematics, science, and programming. He pointed out that, on the sidelines of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), an agreement was signed to introduce programming as a subject in all public schools for first-year secondary students nationwide, encompassing approximately 800,000 students.
The Minister also highlighted the ongoing collaboration with the Japanese company SPRICS in developing mathematics curricula. He emphasized that this ambitious five-year project aims to modernize the mathematics curriculum up to the third year of secondary school, ensuring its complete alignment with the Japanese curriculum. He explained that the updated curriculum has already been implemented in the first grade of primary school during the current academic year.
Minister Mohamed Abdel Latif commended the existing cooperation with various entities in Japan, including the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). He stressed the importance of this collaboration in supporting the Egyptian education system by increasing the number of Japanese experts working in Egypt. This initiative enjoys the support of the Japanese Parliament, contributing to the transfer of expertise and enhancing the application of the Japanese experience in educational development.
The Minister added that a cooperation agreement with Hiroshima University and several other Japanese universities is currently under consideration. This agreement aims to implement a specialized one-year teacher training program within the Professional Academy for Teachers. Participating teachers will receive a diploma accredited by Japanese universities in teacher training and development, thereby enhancing their professional competence in accordance with the latest educational systems.
For their part, the members of the Japanese parliamentary delegation expressed their appreciation and pride in President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's praise of the Japanese education model. They thanked Egypt for its cooperation in adopting the Japanese vision and transferring this model to African and Middle Eastern countries, reflecting the depth of the partnership between the two countries and their regional role in supporting educational development.
The members of the Japanese parliamentary delegation also welcomed discussions on mechanisms for continuing to send Japanese experts to Egypt, emphasizing the importance of deepening cooperation in this regard during the coming period. This cooperation aims to support the transfer of expertise and strengthen the educational partnership between the two sides.
The meeting addressed several topics in light of existing areas of cooperation, including ways to enhance collaboration with Tokyo Prefecture in supporting and educating people with disabilities. This includes leveraging Japanese expertise in developing educational programs and creating supportive school environments for this group, thereby contributing to effective and sustainable educational inclusion.
The meeting was attended on the Japanese side by Ambassador Iwai Fumio, Ambassador of Japan to Egypt; Mr. Oi Satoshi, Member of the House of Councillors of the Japanese Parliament representing the Liberal Democratic Party; Dr. Yokoyama Shinichi, Member of the House of Councillors representing the Komeito Party; Ms. Uchikoshi Sakura, Member of the House of Councillors representing the Constitutional Democratic Party, the Social Democratic Party, and Independents; Mr. Yamaguchi Nobuhiro, Senior Assistant Researcher at the Research Office of the Standing Committee on the Environment; and Mr. Nimori Yuhei, Researcher at the Research Office of the Standing Committee on Budget.
Also present from the Ministry of Education and Technical Education were Dr. Ayman Bahaa El-Din, Deputy Minister, and Ms. Nevin Hamouda, Advisor to the Minister. For strategic relations and the supervisor of Egyptian-Japanese schools, Ambassador Yasser Othman, the Minister’s advisor for international relations and agreements.