Washington, April 13, 2018 – The World Bank announced today a new US$500 million investment in Egypt’s education reforms, to support increasing access to quality Kindergarten education, improving the quality of learning and adopting technology as a vehicle to achieve the reform objectives. The project will expand access to quality Kindergarten for around 500,000 children, train 500,000 teachers and education officials, while providing 1.5 million students and teachers with digital learning resources.
The five-year Supporting Egypt Education Reform will help transform the education system through bold modernization initiatives. The project is aligned with Egypt’s ‘’2030 Vision’’ sustainable development strategy, which puts a strong emphasis on the critical role of education sector reform in Egypt’s social transformation.
“Investing in people is key to inclusive economic growth. We welcome the World Bank’s support to the implementation of our ambitious home-grown education sector reform program. It is a strategic opportunity and the government is fully committed to developing the education system to build a productive generation that is well-equipped and ready for the competitive world," said Dr. Sahar Nasr, Egypt’s Minister of Investment and International Cooperation who also represents Egypt on the World Bank’s Board of Governors.
The project aims to achieve its goals by: (1) improving access to and the quality of early childhood education, (2) developing a reliable student assessment and examination system, (3) enhancing capacity of teachers, education leaders and supervisors, and (4) using modern technology for teaching and learning, assessing students, and collecting data, as well as expanding the use of digital learning resources.
“September 2018 marks the start of the journey to make our students ready for life, and we are pleased to have this partnership with the World Bank to accompany us on that journey. Our goal is to provide our students with the competencies they need to create a society that learns, thinks and innovates,” said Dr. Tarek Shawki, Egypt’s Minister of Education and Technical Education.
“Strengthening the education system is critical to improving productivity and promoting growth,” said Dr. Asad Alam, World Bank Country Director for Egypt, Yemen and Djibouti. “By focusing on strengthening learning conditions, young Egyptians will be better prepared for higher paying and skilled jobs of the future.”
The World Bank finances programs and projects to help Egypt reduce poverty and boost shared prosperity. The focus of Bank support includes social safety nets, energy, transport, rural water and sanitation, irrigation, social housing, health care, job creation, and financing for micro and small enterprises. The World Bank currently has a portfolio of 16 projects with a total commitment of US$6.69 billion.
