Education is widely recognized as a powerful catalyst for development, instrumental in reducing poverty and improving health, gender equality, peace, and stability. It is also crucial for preparing children for the future by equipping them with fundamental skills such as reading, which is essential for further learning and productivity later in life.
In response to the evolving job market's demands, Egypt has prioritized education reform to ensure that students acquire skill sets beyond what traditional education systems typically offer. In 2018, the Egyptian government initiated a national education reform program supported by the World Bank. The program has already reached several milestones and continues to make progress.
A key component of this ongoing reform is a new examination system designed to shift students' focus from rote learning and grades towards higher-order skills. These include analytical abilities, critical thinking, curiosity, and exploration. This paradigm shift aims to foster lifelong learning among students by teaching them self-learning skills likely to be relevant in their job search in an increasingly global market by the 2030s.
One student shared her experience with the new system: “The new examination system encourages me to depend on myself in my learning journey; it also encourages me to read more. My father is ill; sometimes my biology readings enable me to help him,” she said. “When I am a mother, I will also encourage my children to read.”
The World Bank’s Supporting Egypt’s Education Reform project seeks to aid Egypt's efforts through various means. These include improving access to quality kindergarten education, developing a fair and reliable student assessment and examination system, enhancing teachers' capacity and educational leaders, utilizing educational technology for improved teaching and learning, assessing students and collecting data. The project also focuses on expanding alternative learning resources.
So far, the project has facilitated the development of new training modules set to reach 70% of kindergarten teachers between April and September 2024. It has also initiated a new quality assurance system expected initially to be implemented in 35% of kindergartens. Both initiatives aim to enhance child learning and school readiness. The new examination system, emphasizing higher-order thinking skills, has been administered to three cohorts of secondary school students (over 2 million students). Curated learning resources have benefited students, parents, and teachers since 2020. The project has also overseen two rounds of grade 4 assessments focusing on Arabic and mathematics to evaluate learning and address challenges.
However, a reform of this magnitude presents several challenges that need addressing for effective implementation. One significant hurdle is changing the perceptions of teachers, students, and parents about the purpose of education. While the new system prepares students with skills for future workplaces, it contradicts long-standing beliefs that education's primary goal is content memorization and exam scoring.
Students themselves are feeling the pressure of these changes. “My mother is worried that I will not get high grades in preparatory 3,” said one student. “She tries to hide it, but I can feel her worry.” Another student shared how academic pressure led her to give up recreational activities: “I used to practice swimming... I decided to stop swimming practice to be able to focus on my studies.”
Other challenges include low kindergarten enrollment rates, professional development for teachers and educational leaders, a short school year compared to other countries (120 days in Egypt versus 190 in Scotland), and inadequate funding for education leading to overcrowded schools and teacher shortages.
Despite these obstacles, many students see value in the reform. “What makes me different from secondary students who undertook exams under the old system is that I have better access to digital resources, which increases my chances to get a good job,” said one student.
The World Bank’s support for Egypt's education reform aligns with its FY2023-27 Country Partnership Framework with Egypt. This partnership emphasizes improved human capital outcomes, including providing an education that meets the future job market's needs.