Egypt and Japan Strengthen Partnership Through Collaboration on Math Curriculum Development
n a first-of-its-kind move in the history of both countries, Mr. Mohamed Abdel Latif, Minister of Education and Technical Education, Dr. Hani Helal, Secretary General of the Egyptian-Japanese Education Partnership, and Mr. Fumio Iwai, Ambassador of Japan to Egypt, witnessed the signing of a letter of intent between the Egyptian Ministry of Education and the leading Japanese educational development organization, SPREX, on Saturday. This agreement aims to enhance cooperation between the two sides in developing mathematics curricula. This step represents a tangible step towards the outcomes of the Minister's visit to Japan, which deepened educational cooperation between the two countries.
The letter of intent was signed on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Technical Education by Dr. Akram Hassan, Assistant Minister for Curriculum Development, and on behalf of the Japanese side by Mr. Shinya Saio, Director of the International Department at SPREX.
Japan is among the world's top countries in mathematics education, and this is the first time Egypt has collaborated with Japan on curriculum development. This partnership aims to modernize mathematics curricula, leveraging the Japanese experience, which focuses on a sound scientific foundation and developing students' cognitive skills.
During the signing ceremony, the Minister welcomed the Japanese Ambassador and representatives from the Japanese company, Sprix. He emphasized the importance of cooperation with Japan in curriculum development, emphasizing that the Japanese model, which emphasizes basic skills with steady steps toward higher skills, will enable our students to develop their skills and abilities in mathematics.
Minister Mohamed Abdel Latif expressed his aspiration to build on previous cooperation mechanisms with the Japanese side to enhance further cooperation to develop various aspects of the education system.
In his remarks on this occasion, the Japanese Ambassador to Cairo said that Egypt and Japan share many areas of bilateral cooperation across various development sectors. He expressed his happiness at witnessing this new cooperation between the two sides today, adding that it is a great honor to see this integration in education, aiming to develop the education system in Egypt through the exchange of expertise.
The signing ceremony was attended by Mr. Shizuki Kawashima, Secretary of the Japanese Embassy in Cairo; Mr. Shinya Sayo, Director of the International Department at Sprix and representative of the Japanese side at the signing; Mr. Kenta Hosaka, Director of the International Department at the Foundation; and Mr. Miki Sakata, General Manager of the Sprix Egypt branch.
Also participating from the Ministry of Education were Dr. Ahmed El-Mohammadi, Assistant Minister of Education for Strategic Planning and Follow-up; Dr. Akram Hassan, Assistant Minister for Curriculum Development; Dr. Hanem Ahmed, Advisor to the Minister for International Cooperation and Agreements; Ms. Nevin Hamouda, Advisor to the Minister for Strategic Relations and Supervisor of Egyptian-Japanese Schools; and Dr. Hala Abdel Salam, Head of the Central Administration for General Education.