Education System of Egypt
Initially, a European style education was introduced in Egypt in the early 19th century but in 1950, President Nasser phased in free education for all Egyptians. The curriculum was similar to that of an Arab Education system employing Egyptian trained teachers, but it too does not prove successful on a long run. After this the Government of Egypt really works hard to improve the education system keeping it on priority.
Now, Egypt has the largest overall education system in the Middle East and North Africa and has grown rapidly since 1990s.
Education System
Presently the following system of Education is being followed in Egypt. It is fundamentally divided into 2 stages:
1. School Education (Pre Higher Education): Ministry of Education holds an authority on this stage.
2. Higher Education: Ministry of Higher education holds an authority on this stage.
School System
Government Schools:
There are normally two types of government schools, one is Arabic language school where the instruction mode is Arabic and the other is experimental language school which uses English, and adds French or German as a second foreign language in preparatory education.
Private Schools:
There are 4 types of Private schools:
- Ordinary School: Their curriculum is similar to that of government schools in Egypt, but they are slightly different in terms of giving proper attention to every student.
- Language Schools: They teach most of the curriculum in English and also add French or German as a secondary language. They provide better facilities to students as compared to other schools. That is why their fees are quite on the higher side.
- Religious schools: They are basically religiously oriented schools as Azhar or Catholic schools.
- International’s schools: They are those schools which offer curriculum of different countries like that of the American, British or French System and the degrees offered by them are certified from the Ministry of Education.
Higher Education
Education is mandatory for 8 years that is between the ages of 6 and 14. In government run schools and institutions, education at all levels is imparted free of cost As per data released by UNICEF, literacy rate of youth (male) in the years 2007-2011 was 91% and also literacy rate of youth (female) in the years 2007-2011 was 84%. However, the figures have grown in next 5 years. As of now, about 17 million young boys and girls are enrolled in state education at all levels in the country.
Technical & Vocational Courses
Technical education comprises of technical and commercial courses for 3 or 2 years depending on the field. Vocational education includes preparatory vocational certificates and secondary vocational certificates.
Bachelor's degree in Egypt
Students can enrol for various bachelor’s degree programs in Egypt universities. The time period is typically, four to six years. Medical degree is given to the student in Egypt with six academic years along with one year of practical work. On completion of General Secondary Certificate of Education, students can enrol in bachelors program. The eligibility criteria for every bachelors program is 70 percent in secondary grade.
Master's degree in Egypt
After bachelors, students can enroll for master’s degrees in Egypt universities. The time period is typically two to five years. The eligibility criteria for every master’s program are 50-60 percent in graduation. Masters generally comprises research and training along with thesis work.
Doctorate in Egypt
Students with successful completion of master’s degree from accredited universities can enrol for doctorate in any recognized Egypt universities. The Phd or Doctorate comprises advanced research and thesis work. The time period is typically three years.
Academic Year
In Egypt, the academic year starts in the second or third week of September. The first term approximately lasts for 15 weeks and ends in Mid January. Then there are mid- term vacations for one month. Then the second term starts with mid February and lasts for 15 weeks i.e., mid June followed by summer vacation for three months.