Minister of Social Solidarity Maya Morsy receives members of the Japanese House of Councillors in the New Capital. Photo: Egyptian Cabinet
The remarks came during talks in Cairo with a delegation from Japan’s House of Councillors, which focused on strengthening development cooperation between the two countries.
Morsy described Japan’s Early Childhood Quality Improvement Project—implemented with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)—as one of Egypt’s most successful development partnerships and a practical example of knowledge exchange.
She said Egypt has benefited from Japan’s experience in early childhood education, particularly approaches that prioritize early investment as a foundation for long-term development.
The minister outlined plans to expand the adapted Japanese curriculum, which emphasizes learning through play, beyond pilot nurseries and into a broader national framework.
“Egypt does not need unplanned expansion in the number of nurseries,” Morsy said, according to a cabinet statement. “What is needed is strategic, well-studied expansion and capacity building.”
She said the Japanese model is already being applied in several government-run nurseries in the New Capital, including those affiliated with the ministries of social solidarity and justice, with additional nurseries set to open at the irrigation and health ministries.
According to Morsy, the nurseries are applying key components of the Japanese curriculum adapted to Egypt’s context, including activity-based learning and structured training for facilitators.
She cited Egypt’s first national nursery census in 2025, which recorded 48,225 nurseries serving more than 1.7 million children, as a baseline for more targeted policy interventions.
“These results mark the start of a new phase and will reshape interventions to better match Egypt’s needs,” she said.
The quality framework—covering equipment, activity books, facilitator training, and monitoring tools—is currently being piloted in nine governorates.
Future cooperation
Morsy also said Egypt is interested in studying Japan’s elderly care programmes, noting that executive regulations for Egypt’s Elderly Rights Care Law have recently been finalized.
She pointed to ongoing national efforts to address violence against women through the National Council for Women (NCW), women’s guidance centres, and the “Mawadda” premarital counselling programme.
Members of the Japanese delegation praised Egyptian–Japanese cooperation and welcomed Egypt’s adoption of elements of Japan’s early childhood education approach. They also expressed readiness to cooperate on elderly care, saying Japan’s model could form the basis for future collaboration.
Egypt and Japan have a long history of cooperation in education, health, and culture, with Egyptian professionals regularly participating in training programmes in Japan.
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