El-Gebaly made the announcement during a House session that followed the Education and Scientific Research Committee’s approval of the draft law on Sunday.
His comments aimed to calm growing concerns among families who have long relied on the Thanaweya Amma track as the primary route to university admission.
Education Minister Mohamed Abdel-Latif also addressed the session. He described the proposed baccalaureate model as a significant shift in the country’s education system, emphasizing that it would remain optional. He said the new track could ease what he called the “financial and moral burden” the current system places on Egyptian families.
He argued that the baccalaureate would give students a better chance of accessing colleges that prepare them for a changing job market.
The Education Committee amended the bill to formally state that the baccalaureate system will be free, optional, and last for three academic years. Lawmakers also introduced caps on exam retake fees and allowed up to 20 percent of a student’s final grade in basic education to reflect yearly school performance. They said the aim was to reduce pressure on final exams and encourage regular attendance.
Parliament also added a clause requiring universities to factor in students from both Thanaweya Amma and the new system when determining admissions. The move seeks to prevent any disparity between the two educational paths.
The baccalaureate structure divides the secondary stage into two phases. In the first year, students will take core subjects—such as Arabic, religious education, Egyptian history, mathematics, integrated sciences, philosophy, logic, and a first foreign language—that count toward their final grade.
They will also study additional subjects, such as a second foreign language, programming, and computer science, but these will not affect the final score.
In the second and third years, students will continue to study core subjects and select a specialization. Students in the Medicine and Life Sciences track will study standard-level math and physics in the second year and advanced biology and chemistry in the third.
Those in the Engineering and Computer Sciences track will take advanced math and physics in both years.
The Business track will include advanced economics and standard math, while the Arts and Humanities focus will offer advanced geography and statistics.
All students will retake religious education in their final year of study. Aside from changes in the life sciences track, the specialization subjects remain the same across the final two years.
The law will also allow students to retake exams—at a cost—to improve their final scores.
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