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Egypt's President Orders Update to School Curriculum

The Sphynx, Egypt
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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has directed officials to update school curriculums and textbooks nationwide, while also making greater use of international expertise in shaping Egypt's education policies. The move reflects the government's continued focus on modernising the country's schooling.

According to reports, the presidential instructions came as part of a broader review of Egypt's education system, with El-Sisi calling for continued development across all areas of teaching and learning, rather than isolated reforms.

The directive was linked to updates on the Future Skills Academy, a national training initiative designed to prepare young people with practical skills for the modern job market. The academy is reportedly offering 50,000 training licenses, granting access to structured skills courses.

Officials say approximately 150,000 students stand to benefit from these licenses, highlighting the scale of the initiative and its intended reach across the country's youth population.

By pairing updated academic materials with practical skills training, the government appears to be pursuing a two-track strategy: modernising traditional classroom curriculum content while simultaneously expanding vocational and technical training opportunities outside the standard school system.

El-Sisi's emphasis on international expertise suggests Egypt may look to established education models abroad, potentially adapting best practices from other countries' curriculum design, teacher training or assessment methods.

No specific timeline for the curriculum revisions has been publicly announced. However, the president's remarks indicate that education reform remains an ongoing government priority, with further updates likely to follow as the Future Skills Academy programme continues to expand its reach among Egyptian students.

Vocabulary7 words

update
make something newer and more modern
international expertise
skilled knowledge from other countries
system
a set of connected parts working together
academy
an institution that trains people in specific skills
licenses
official permits allowing access to something
students
people enrolled in education or training
curriculum
the planned content taught in schools

Quiz

1. What did President El-Sisi instruct officials to do?
2. What strategy does the government appear to be pursuing, according to the article?
3. True or False: A specific timeline for the curriculum revisions has been publicly announced.

Discussion questions

  1. What are the potential benefits and challenges of combining traditional curriculum reform with vocational training programs?
  2. How might looking at international education models help or limit a country's own reform efforts?
  3. Why might governments prioritise 'future skills' training alongside standard academic subjects?
  4. What questions would you want answered about how the Future Skills Academy licenses are distributed among students?

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