The U.S. Embassy and the Ministry of Education have announced the opening of three new STEM secondary schools in Alexandria, Dakahleya, and Assiut. This initiative is part of a collaboration between the American people, through USAID, and the Government of Egypt. The partnership initially led to the establishment of Egypt's first two STEM high schools in 2011.
USAID/Egypt Mission Director Sherry F. Carlin highlighted the benefits of STEM education: “The remarkable thing about STEM education is students learn how to think outside the box, conduct experiments, and work in teams.” She added that these skills are crucial for Egyptian youth as they grow into future leaders who can address the country's development challenges.
The STEM educational model offers a robust foundation in science and mathematics to over 500 talented students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds across Egypt. USAID has been instrumental in developing this curriculum, equipping school laboratories, and providing training for teachers and administrators at the Maadi and 6th of October STEM Schools.
Students from these institutions have gained international recognition by participating in competitions such as the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in the United States and the International Science Competition in Taiwan.
The United States' cooperation with Egypt spans decades, focusing on enhancing educational access. Over thirty years, efforts have included awarding 185,000 scholarships to girls and constructing 2,000 schools in underserved areas. More recently, USAID has worked with Egypt's Ministry of Education to distribute 24 million library books and train over 200,000 educators while promoting technology use in education.