Minister of Education discusses joint cooperation plans with UNICEF Egypt Acting Representative

Mr. Mohamed Abdel Latif, Minister of Education and Technical Education, received today Ms. Natalie Meyer, UNICEF Egypt Acting Representative, to discuss joint cooperation plans to support the development of the pre-university education system and discuss UNICEF Egypt's annual work plan 2025-2026.

During the meeting, Minister Mohamed Abdel Latif praised UNICEF Egypt's outstanding efforts to achieve the sustainable development goals, especially in the field of pre-university education, describing the cooperation between the ministry and UNICEF Egypt as fruitful and constructive.

The minister added that the ministry and UNICEF are working together to advance the education system, provide students and teachers with the skills necessary for the modern era through joint programs and projects, and succeed in achieving the principle of education and lifelong learning for all.

The Minister stressed the Ministry's keenness to move forward in developing the educational system, reviewing the obstacles facing the educational system and the mechanisms that were implemented to overcome these obstacles, such as teacher shortages, overcrowding of classes, and weak student turnout in schools, explaining that these problems were solved by 90%.

The Minister continued that the solutions that were implemented, in addition to the existence of weekly assessments that measure the student's cognitive achievement, were reflected in raising his reading and writing skills.

The Minister pointed out that working on developing the secondary stage and proposing the Egyptian Baccalaureate certificate aims to specialize students in specific tracks, in addition to the existence of multiple opportunities to take exams, in a way that serves the student's interest and breaks out of the circle of one opportunity.

For her part, Ms. Natalie Meyer praised the extensive steps taken by the Ministry towards a distinguished educational system, describing Egypt as the writer of the history of education throughout the ages, and a beacon of science in the Middle East.

She stressed UNICEF Egypt's commitment to continue supporting the clear progress in the education sector in Egypt, and working with the ministry to promote and empower children and adolescents' rights, noting that protecting children's rights is the basis for achieving the best possible future for all.

During the meeting, Shiraz Chakra, UNICEF Deputy Representative, reviewed UNICEF Egypt's annual work plan 2025-2026, and supporting the Ministry of Education and Technical Education to enable it to implement educational policies and programs effectively and efficiently.

The meeting also discussed enhancing ways of cooperation with the ministry to expand the scope of the comprehensive education program for the most vulnerable groups, which aims to enhance the Ministry of Education's ability to plan and implement community education reforms, enhance the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic among children, support technical education and vocational training to expand the scope of national manufacturing programs, and support and develop the Technical Education and Vocational Training (TVET) program, which aims to create a general framework linking all beneficiaries, in addition to updating curricula, enhancing school infrastructure, linking students and graduates to the labor market, integrating technology into education and the transition to digital learning, and using technology to ensure learning and attendance and follow-up of the educational process on an ongoing basis.

The meeting was attended from the Ministry of Education and Technical Education by Dr. Ayman Bahaa El-Din, Deputy Minister, Dr. Akram Hassan, Assistant Minister for Curriculum Development Affairs, Dr. Amr Basila, Head of the Central Administration for Technical Education Development, Dr. Hala Abdel Salam, Head of the Central Administration for General Education, Mr. Walid El-Fakharany, Head of the Central Administration for Educational Technology, Ms. Randa Salah, Director of Cultural Relations and Expatriates, Dr. Amira Awad, Ministry Coordinator for United Nations Organizations, Ms. Rasha El-Geoushy, Ministry Coordinator for International Schools, and Dr. Mai Haddad, International Relations Coordinator.