British Council director Mark Howard, Nathalie Meyer, Deputy representative UNICEF Egypt with key figures from government, international and local organisations.
The event, organized by the British Council, brought together key figures from governmental, international, and local organizations.
This collaboration marks a significant step forward in enhancing the quality of education in Egypt, equipping students to thrive as global citizens prepared for the demands of the modern world.
This initiative, which builds on the British Council’s success in creating a thematic curriculum framework for English as a second foreign language for grades 7–12, is a key part of Egypt’s Education Reform 2.0.
The collaboration aims to design an evidence-based framework contextually relevant to international standards, enabling students to enhance their language proficiency while fostering critical 21st-century skills.
Mark Howard, British Council director, with Nathalie Meyer, deputy representative of UNICEF Egypt, at the partnership ceremony.
The British Council will lead the technical development of the curriculum framework, leveraging its extensive expertise in curriculum design and its proven ability to integrate key themes as life skills.
Additionally, the British Council will conduct capacity-building sessions for personnel from Egypt’s Ministry of Education and Technical Education to ensure the framework's effective implementation.
“At the British Council, we are delighted to partner with UNICEF on an enhanced English curriculum to help support the Ministry of Education and Technical Education with their clear strategy on education reform. We have worked to support more widespread knowledge and a better understanding of English in Egypt over the last 90 years,” Mark Howard, British Council director in Egypt, explained.
“We believe that high-quality and inclusive teaching, learning, and assessment of English increases academic, career, and social opportunities and will enable young people in Egypt to participate actively in a global society. Our mission is driven by the British Council's purpose of building trust and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries,” he added.
UNICEF role
UNICEF in Egypt will support the collaboration by providing oversight and coordination for the development process. It will engage with the Ministry of Education and other stakeholders and contribute to the design of inclusive, gender-responsive, and digitally innovative curriculum components.
Both organizations are committed to fostering a holistic approach that incorporates the principles of gender inclusion, digital innovation, and green education.
Nathalie Meyer, deputy representative of UNICEF Egypt, remarked, “UNICEF is proud to partner with the British Council, at the point of its 90th birthday, on developing an enhanced English curriculum framework for higher secondary education in Egypt.”
“This partnership reflects our shared commitment to equipping students with the language proficiency and 21st-century skills needed to thrive in a rapidly changing world under the Ministry of Education and Technical Education’s reform vision,” she added.
For his part, Akram Hassan, assistant to the Minister of Education on Curriculum Development and Director of Central Administration for Curriculum Development, said: “The education ministry welcomes the partnership between the British Council and UNICEF, which represents a fruitful collaboration in developing the English language curriculum.”
“This partnership reflects a shared commitment to enhancing the quality of education and broadening learning opportunities for students. The ministry considers this initiative a pivotal step towards achieving sustainable development goals in the education sector,” he added.
The British Council said it is proud to lead this transformative project and is confident that its partnership with UNICEF Egypt will have a lasting and meaningful impact on education in the country.
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