22 Egypt Education Facts (all about modern schools in Egypt)

The Best Facts About School in Egypt

Egypt is a country located in Northern Africa. Its heritage and history are unique, and its capital city is Cairo, which has around 10 million inhabitants.

An interesting part of the country that I wanted to tackle is its education. In light of that, I have listed my 22 best facts about schools in Egypt, and I hope you will love them:

1. Egypt is becoming a more and more important international education hub

This will come as a surprise to many people, considering how difficult the situation has been in Egypt for the past few years, but the country is a coveted international education hub.

The number of students in the country has doubled over the past 15 years!

2. Egypt is the third most important Arab-majority country for students

As of 2017, Egypt is home to more than 50,000 international degree-seeking students. This means that among Arab-majority countries, it ranks 3rd, after Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

And this even comes after a huge dip from 2011 to 2013 because of political upheaval!

3. Living in Egypt is dangerous but education is interesting

Apparently, despite how dangerous or risky it is to live in Egypt, there are still more and more students looking to learn there.

Indeed, there are high-profile terror attacks, and the country is categorized as a risky travel destination. The Fund for Peace even ranked it 36th out of 178 countries from most fragile to most stable.

4. Many different countries send their students to Egypt

International students in Egypt come from many different countries.

The majority of them come from Southeast Asia, but other Arab countries are also a huge part of this international student body. The rest is mostly made of sub-Saharan African countries, like Nigeria for instance.

5. Malaysia is by far the #1 sending country of students in Egypt

In 2016, Malaysia was by far the top sending country of international degree-seeking students in Egypt. In fact, it sends more than twice the number of Indonesia, which is the second-most sending country.

The 4,556 students sent by Malaysia only account for 9 percent of all inbound students in Egypt though, so it is very diverse.

6. Students are attracted to Egypt because of its low costs in general

The main reasons why so many students choose Egypt as their study destination are low living expenses and tuition, at least compared to other Arab countries.

Public universities are very affordable, with a tuition of around $1,000 per year for non-Egyptian students.

7. Egypt and Malaysia have a strong connection when it comes to education

You already know it, Malaysia is the top sending country of students to Egypt, but the link between both countries goes beyond that.

There is an Education Malaysia Egypt office which was created back in 1960, and a dedicated fund for Malaysian students in Egypt.

8. Egyptian universities are quite renowned

Obviously, students do not choose Egypt just because it is cheap. There is more than that, and the country’s universities are fairly renowned.

In fact, 9 Egyptian universities are part of the top 31 ranking of universities in the Arab world (Times, 2018).

University of Alexandria, Egypt

9. The world’s oldest university still in operation is located in Egypt

The Al-Azhar University in Cairo was founded circa AD 971… and is still in operation to this day! Not only is it the world’s oldest university that is still active, but it is also one of the most prestigious Islamic universities.

10. Education in Egypt is traditional, ancient, and religious

Egypt used to be an intellectual center of the world, with a religiously based education, and a very traditional one.

There is now a dual education system that was introduced in the 19th century by the Ottomans, with “kuttabs” (traditional Islamic schools) and “madrasas” (government-funded schools).

11. The youth literacy rate has drastically gone up in Egypt in the past few years

Egypt has several issues when it comes to education. One of the most important ones is its youth literacy rate, but from 2005 to 2017, it has gone up from 85 percent to 94 percent.

This is a very good sign for the future of Egyptian education in general.

12. The 2011 revolution had a tremendous impact on education in Egypt

One of the most important events in Egypt’s recent history is definitely the 2011 revolution. It has had a lot of consequences, including an insane percentage of out-of-school children in elementary school.

However, this number has dropped by 50 percent in only five years.

13. The population of Egypt is growing too quick for the education system

Another issue the education system has to solve in Egypt is the rapidly-growing population of the country.

In only 12 years, the number of children enrolled in elementary school jumped by 2.5 million, and by 2.2 million when it comes to secondary level!

14. The Egyptian education system is very flawed

There are many consequences to the massive Egyptian population. Egyptian schools are facing capacity shortages and overcrowded classrooms while teacher salaries are falling.

Also, parents need to spend more on their children’s education and often choose to provide them with private tutoring.

15. There is a lot of fake literacy in Egypt

Sadly, there is still a decent amount of fake literacy, or disguised illiteracy, in Egypt. No matter what you call it, this is a serious problem that the country is facing: around 30 percent of school children are lacking basic reading and writing skills. Most of them come from rural regions.

16. Egypt’s higher education is facing many problems

The higher education system of Egypt has to deal with many issues, and it is quite inefficient because of that.

First of all, it is underfunded. Then, the political turmoil created violence on campuses. Also, more than 1,600 student protests took place in only one year, from 2013 to 2014!

17. Many violent clashes between the police and students happened from 2013 to 2016 in Egypt

The Egyptian government decided to deploy security forces on campuses as an answer to the ever-growing protests.

This resulted in very violent clashes, and in the death of 21 students as well as hundreds of arrestations. Freedom of expression and academic freedom are still severely stifled in Egypt.

18. Egyptian universities’ curricula are incredibly outdated

The biggest structural problem Egypt’s education has to face is definitely the outdated curricula used by universities in the country.

Sadly, the skills students are taught are not adapted to the modern economy. A group of students even publicly burned their diplomas as a sign of protest in 2015.

19. It is hard for graduates to find a gainful job in Egypt

Unfortunately, because of the flaws of Egypt’s higher education system, graduates are having a hard time finding a proper job in the country.

On average, it takes high school or university graduates seven years to find a good job!

20. 2019 was the year of education in Egypt

In 2019, President Sissi declared the year to be the “year of education”. The government is of course aware of how the youth employment crisis affects the country and would lead to political instability, so they invested 8 more percent in public education spending that year.

21. The government spending on education is still quite low in Egypt

Even though many efforts are being made, the government spending in Egypt is still quite low compared with that of other countries with similar socioeconomic levels, as well as overall government spending percentage.

For instance, the government spent less on education in 2014-15 than in 2004-05 (by 0.2 percent).

22. A lot of improvement is going to happen to Egypt’s education system

Despite how dire the situation is in Egypt, there are a lot of governmental initiatives.

It intends to increase funding and implement a lot of reform projects. The World Bank is also helping the country with a $500 million loan.

So there you have them, these were all my 22 facts about Egypt schools. I hope you enjoyed them and that you learned something new today.

In case you want to learn more about the rest of the country’s education system, feel free to keep reading, as I still have lots of things to tell you about:

Egyptian School Hours

Let’s keep going with our next part, dedicated to Egyptian school hours. The typical school schedule in one country can often be very different from your own, and it’s always interesting to have more details on how students go on about their day.

Egypt Primary School Schedule

Education is free and compulsory for everyone between the ages of 6 and 15 in Egypt.

Elementary school consists of 6 years, and there are also 2 years of free kindergarten education prior to that. The government sets the elementary curriculum for both public and private schools. The general subjects are Arabic, mathematics, and science.

Egypt Secondary School Schedule

Secondary school is called the “preparatory phase” in Egypt. It lasts from grades 6 to 9, and the main subjects are Arabic, agriculture, English, mathematics, and art. Pupils can enroll in high school after succeeding in final graduation exams at the end of grade 9.

Egyptian High School Schedule

High school, or upper-secondary education, is not mandatory in Egypt. It lasts from grades 10 to 12, and the number of Egyptians enrolled in upper-secondary education is currently blowing up.

There are two main streams in general secondary education: literacy and science, both concluded by a highly difficult final exam in grade 12.

Technical secondary education is made of three- and five-year programs after the preparatory phase. The first ones are either industrial, commercial or agricultural, while the latter lead to an Advanced Technical Diploma with specialized vocational education.

General Facts About Schooling in Egypt

This last part is dedicated to general facts about schooling in Egypt. More specifically, we’ll check 2 key figures that will give you a better understanding of the education level in Egypt.

Enrollment in tertiary education for Egypt: 30.32%

(Average for regions: Sub-Saharan Africa: 8.6% | South Asia: 20.8% | Arab States: 36.4% | East Asia: 36.5% | Latin America: 43.3% | Europe and Central Asia: 62% | North America: 84%)

Data from World Bank EdStats/UNESCO

Egypt literacy rate: 76%

(Average for regions: Sub-Saharan Africa: 65.3% | South Asia: 72.9% | Arab States: 79.4% | Latin America: 93.7% | East Asia: 95.8% | Europe and Central Asia: 98.5%)

Data from World Bank EdStats/UNESCO

More Education Facts!

Do you want even more education facts about other countries?

Check out these facts:

• Education in Ethiopia
• Education in Somalia
• Education in Uganda

Or click here to see ALL the education facts up on the blog!

The Full List of 22 Egyptian School Facts

1. Egypt is becoming a more and more important international education hub
2. Egypt is the third most important Arab-majority country for students
3. Living in Egypt is dangerous but education is interesting
4. Many different countries send their students to Egypt
5. Malaysia is by far the #1 sending country of students in Egypt
6. Students are attracted to Egypt because of its low costs in general
7. Egypt and Malaysia have a strong connection when it comes to education
8. Egyptian universities are quite renowned
9. The world’s oldest university still in operation is located in Egypt
10. Education in Egypt is traditional, ancient, and religious
11. The youth literacy rate has drastically gone up in Egypt in the past few years
12. The 2011 revolution had a tremendous impact on education in Egypt
13. The population of Egypt is growing too quick for the education system
14. The education system of Egypt is very flawed
15. There is a lot of fake literacy in Egypt
16. Egypt’s higher education is facing many problems
17. Many violent clashes between the police and students happened from 2013 to 2016 in Egypt
18. Egyptian universities’ curricula are incredibly outdated
19. It is hard for graduates to find a gainful job in Egypt
20. 2019 was the year of education in Egypt
21. The government spending on education is still quite low in Egypt
22. A lot of improvement is going to happen to Egypt’s education system

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