By Nisma Youssef
March7, 2024
On Thursday, the Ministry of Education, represented by Minister Reda Hegazy, and the German Foreign Ministry, represented by Ralph Beste, Director of the Culture and Society Department at the German Foreign Ministry, along with German Ambassador to Cairo Frank Hartmann, signed a memorandum of understanding at a ceremony held at the Ministry of Education headquarters in the New Administrative Capital to establish up to 100 Egyptian-German schools.
According to a statement issued by the German Embassy in Cairo on Thursday, the declaration of intent marks another significant milestone in the close educational cooperation, which has a long history between Germany and Egypt.
The German Embassy added that under this agreement, both countries aim to combine the best education systems from each. The plan aims to establish approximately 100 distinctive schools in various parts of Egypt, leveraging German educational expertise, as well as providing curricular and educational support under Egyptian responsibility. Students, throughout their educational journey until reaching high school, will receive a comprehensive set of courses including intensive language training in both German and English. Values such as access to education, nondiscrimination, tolerance, personal responsibility, and critical thinking are to be part of the school’s concept.
The German Embassy noted that Egypt will construct the schools itself, with the establishment of this new type of school accompanied by a mixed Egyptian-German advisory committee. This committee will oversee the development of this new type of schools.
It is worth mentioning that the main actors are the Goethe Institute and the Central Agency for German Schools Abroad (ZfA). Based on their many years of work in Egypt, experts from the Goethe Institute and ZfA will develop quality standards and educational concepts alongside Egyptian partners. In this context, support provided in the field of teacher training and continuing education will play a prominent role.
Through this declaration of intent, Germany and Egypt aim to build on the close cooperation in the field of education that has existed for decades and contribute more to achieving understanding and strengthening friendship between the two peoples. In the long term, the benefits will not only be for the students but also for the economy, culture, and society in both countries.
It is worth noting that the Goethe Institute has long been working to provide support in teaching the German language and conveying German culture through a close partnership with the Egyptian Ministry of Education. Within this educational cooperation, around 2,000 German teachers in Egypt, and more than 2,000 schools where German is taught as a foreign language, have benefited from the advice provided by the Goethe Institute and its training courses.
The Central Agency for German Schools Abroad is responsible for promoting German school work abroad through specialized advice and quality management. In Egypt, the Central Agency provides advice and support to seven German schools abroad, in addition to schools offering the German language diploma. It also offers a training program for Egyptian teachers.
