Over 20,000 students have applied for Japanese schools in Egypt since registration opened on 27 September, education ministry spokesperson Ahmed Khairy said in press statements on Saturday.

Five Japanese schools, which run from kindergarten through the third grade, will open their doors to students for the first time in October.

The project, which aims to create 100 such schools, is part of a cooperation protocol signed between Egypt and Japan in May 2017, with Japan providing the necessary technical support for the project.

The students will be attending schools in Cairo's Shorouk City, the Fifth Settlement, New Cairo, and in the governorates of Alexandria, Menoufiya, Suez, Assiut, Beni Suef, and Minya, according to Khairy.

The new schools will teach the same curricula taught in government schools in addition to the Japanese "whole child education" system known as Tokkatsu.

Tokkatsu focuses on achieving a balanced development of “intellect, virtue and body” by ensuring academic competence, rich emotions and healthy physical development.

"The schools will focus on enhancing the child's personality rather than scientific content by introducing a special system that is meant to improve students' cognitive skills and behaviour while encouraging innovation and creativity," Khairy told Ahram Online.

Parents are required to sign an agreement to spend at least 20 hours during the school year in workshops with their children at the schools.

Each class at the school is planned to comprise 40-45 students, and runs until 5pm, an average of three hours longer than regular schools in Egypt.

Fees for the schools will range between EGP 2,000 and EGP 4,000 ($113 to $225).