The Education Committee, which is part of the dialogue’s social axis, met for the first time on Thursday to discuss priorities in pre-university education.

In the meeting, General Coordinator of the National Dialogue Diaa Rashwan argued that a unified education law based on the committee’s discussions would significantly advance the educational system in Egypt.

He emphasized the need to expedite the law given education’s importance to the future of the country.

One of the hurdles facing the development of technical education, Rashwan explained, is its name; some people perceive it as inferior to general education.

The general coordination proposed changing the names of technical secondary schools to technological high schools or agricultural high schools, and commercial schools to business administration schools.

In addition, curriculum should be adjusted to align with the job market.

The Ministry of International Cooperation should also seek additional grants to develop and establish new technical schools with new names and curricula, he added.

Rashwan suggested that manufacturers should be obligated to establish industry-related schools, subject to specific criteria such as the number of employees.

He emphasized that unions have their own governing laws and should not be interfered with in any way.

Meeting the needs of job markets

Nehal El-Ashkar, a member of the Ebda (“Start”) presidential initiative, highlighted the initiative’s efforts to provide technical, professional and educational training to the Egyptian workforce since it was launched in April 2022

Developing state-owned technical and professional education institutions to international standards can help meet the specialized needs of local, regional, and international job markets, El-Ashkar added.

She emphasized the need to change the false perception of technical education as inferior, pointing to some negative portrayals in media. She also noted that that there is legislation hindering the development of technical education.

Safaa Hosny, a member of the Committee of Party's Youth Leaders and Politicians (CPYP), pointed out that the most significant challenge facing industrial technical education in Egypt is the mismatch between curricula in certain specializations that do not align with the needs of the job market.

One of the main challenges facing graduates of industrial technical education is the lack of a clear career path, Hosny added.

Mohamed Ghanem, also a member of the CPYP, stated that challenges in pre-university education include a shortage of teachers, high demand for private lessons, lack of financial resources and a shortage of school supplies.