As part of the government’s commitment to empowering youth and building their technological and entrepreneurial skills, the Ministry of Education, in cooperation with CISCO, the multinational technology company, and the Education Development Fund (EDF), affiliated to the cabinet, announced early in the summer the launch of the “Digital Summer” competition and the initiative “Start Your Project… You’re Not Too Young”.
These two programmes target preparatory and secondary school students between the ages of 13 and 18 across various educational institutions in the country’s 27 governorates. Minister of Education and Technical Education Mohamed Abdel-Latif said the initiatives fall within the framework of the government’s strategy to enhance students’ readiness for the digital future and the modern labour market. The ministry aims to develop students’ digital and entrepreneurial skills from early stages, instilling concepts of freelance work, innovation, and technological empowerment, in cooperation with international partners who specialise in networking hardware, software and telecommunications equipment, thereby boosting their opportunities to compete globally, Abdel-Latif said.
EDF Secretary-General Rasha Sharaf pointed out that the budget allocated by the EDF for the programmes is LE10 million. Since the initiatives were launched, more than 10,000 students joined and more students are expected. The courses will end the first week of October. The “Digital Summer” competition aims to develop students’ technological and social skills through a package of digital courses that qualify them to obtain international certificates as networking and cybersecurity technicians, in cooperation with CISCO.
According to Sharaf, the results of the competition will be announced at the beginning of the new academic year. It includes valuable prizes for the top 10 students from each governorate, the top 10 academies nationwide, and the best trainers among the participating academies. The initiatives include four courses qualifying for network technicians, six courses on cybersecurity, two Artificial Intelligence (AI) courses and two courses on English for Information Technology (IT), Sharaf said, adding that the certificates qualify the students for the job market.
Sharaf also said that “Start Your Project… You’re Not Too Young” targets the development of students’ entrepreneurial skills and financial awareness by encouraging them to present innovative and feasible business project ideas, with the best proposals receiving funding for implementation. The initiative also includes a comprehensive training programme called “Step”, designed to teach students the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, freelance skills and project management.
Sharaf said the initiatives are parallel to the programme conducted in cooperation with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, “Be Ready”, for students between 19 and 25 promoting innovation, technological education and entrepreneurship which are considered the key pillars of Egypt’s Vision 2030, encouraging young people to think beyond traditional boundaries and actively participate in building a knowledge and creativity-based economy.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 14 August, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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