the first meeting of the advisory council for the development of technical education in Egypt

In line with the efforts of the Egyptian government to develop the technical education system in Egypt, the first meeting of the Advisory Council for the Development of Technical Education in Egypt will be held next Monday in Cairo, headed by Dr. Tarek Shawky, Minister of Education and Technical Education, and with the participation of Dr. Hala Al-Saeed, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, and Nevin Gamea , Minister of Trade and Industry, and Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, in addition to international development partners and representatives of the private sector.
The meeting will be attended by a number of ambassadors, heads of Egyptian industrial associations and representatives of development partners including the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the German Development Bank (KfW), the United States Agency for International Development (US-AID), and the funded Workforce Egypt project. From the United States Agency for International Development, and the European Union and Egyptian Government-funded Technical Education and Vocational Training Support and Reform Project (EU-TVET Egypt).
This comes in implementation of what was agreed upon between the Ministry of Education and Technical Education and development partners to establish an "Advisory Council to Support the Technical Education Reform Strategy" during the strategic planning workshop for the reform of the technical education system that was held in November 2019.
The role of the Advisory Council is to ensure the strategic management and implementation of the axes of the technical education reform strategy, which aims to upgrade the technical education system to keep pace with the latest international standards and meet the needs of the local, regional and international labor market for skilled labor through the following five pillars, quality assurance and updating curricula according to a methodology Competencies, raising the capabilities of teachers, engaging private sector business owners in the reform process and changing the societal view of technical education.
Notably, the Advisory Board institutionalizes the reform process through high-level coordination with ministries, key international development partners, representatives of the private sector and other stakeholders. Ministries, relevant Ministry of Education and Technical Education officials, the private sector, parliamentarians, among others, nominated by the permanent members either on a regular or temporary basis.
The advisory council is considered the strategic advisory body for technical education reform in Egypt. The council defines a common vision on the technical education reform strategy and directs it through planning and following up on reform strategies leading to their implementation on the ground. Therefore, the Advisory Board is scheduled to convene annually to ensure the effective implementation of the Technical Education Reform Strategy and to encourage synergies between the various key partners in this reform including government, international development partners and the private sector.
During the expected meeting, the ministry team will review the most important features of the technical education development and reform strategy, its pillars, and priorities, in addition to a brief presentation on its importance to achieving Egypt’s Vision 2030, as well as the importance of international support and coordination in this regard. German International Cooperation and the European Union, the most important achievements in terms of the pillars of the strategy for which they provided support.
Perhaps one of the most important factors for success in implementing the technical education reform strategy is the continuous coordination between the Ministry of Education and Technical Education, the private sector and the relevant development partners and the willingness to maintain a consistent dialogue and monitor the implementation of the pillars of the Ministry’s vision to achieve more consensus among the aforementioned partners, in addition to continuous coordination between the Ministry of Education and Technical Education. Education and Technical Education and the Ministry of Higher Education to harmonize the strategies of both ministries and to introduce pathways for technical education graduates in technological universities recently established by the Ministry of Higher Education.
This coordination takes place at several levels in high-level meetings such as the advisory board, strategic planning workshops, and task force meetings.