Egypt's Education Minister Tarek Shawki said on Wednesday that the state is giving top priority to people with special needs in all domains, adding that the ministry is planning for 59,350 students with special needs to join public and technical schools.

Shawki said that that this is one of the highest international percentages of people with special needs in education.

The minister gave the remarks during a symposium held under the theme of "Comprehensive Education: The Finnish Experiment" in cooperation with the Finnish embassy.

He said the ministry seeks to offer all facilities needed for disabled students in schools, and referred to the partnerships that the ministry has engaged with Egyptian universities, international organisations and civil society to serve this goal.

The minister also noted that the Ministry of Education and Technical Education has trained about 23,000 teachers in order to support students with special needs.

According to Article 81 of Egypt’s 2014 constitution, the state must provide work opportunities for individuals with disabilities, in addition to adequately equipping public utilities and the surrounding environment.

In October 2018, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi announced that the Tahya Misr Fund has allocated EGP 500 million to support citizens with special needs.

El-Sisi also announced that the government had recently provided 5,000 jobs for handicapped and special needs citizens in state institutions.