Planning, Education Ministers Discuss Ministry of Education's Investment Plan for 2024/2025

H.E. Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, and Dr. Reda Hegazy, Minister of Education and Technical Education, met at the Ministry of Planning headquarters in the New Administrative Capital for the first discussions outlining the investment plan for the upcoming fiscal year 2024/2025, and to follow up on the progress of the current fiscal year's plan 2023/2024.

At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Hala El-Said clarified that the meeting marks the first preparation sessions for the investment plan for the year 2024/2025, reflecting the emphasis on education and its importance in prioritizing the plan. The discussion commenced with the Ministry of Education and Technical Education due to the significance of the education sector as a top priority for the Egyptian state, including the technical education system, which is a key component of the state's program for structural reforms.

Dr. Hala El-Said emphasized the economic importance of educational services, highlighting its role in human development, increasing cognitive awareness, and skill development, contributing to facilitating the transition to the knowledge economy and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, keeping pace with modern trends, and enhancing competitiveness across various fields. The commitment to constitutional obligations towards education and vocational education was underscored, aiming to increase the number of classrooms, reduce density, and maximize the role of the private sector through partnerships with the Sovereign Fund for Education.

Dr. Reda Hegazy, Minister of Education and Technical Education, stressed the significance of the meeting aimed at discussing the investment plan of the Ministry of Education in light of the Egyptian state's focus on the education sector, which will, in turn, reflect on the ministry's investment plan.

The meeting addressed the programs of the investment plan for the Ministry of Education and Technical Education, the pillars of the National Program for Structural Reforms, targeting radical and purposeful structural reforms to support the economy's capacity to achieve balanced and sustainable growth. Among them is the focus on implementing the "Decent Life" initiative projects and establishing new classrooms to address density issues, expanding the construction of public education schools.

Furthermore, the discussion covered the development of the technical education system, aiming to increase the number of applicants, develop the technical and vocational education and training system, upgrade the infrastructure of technical education schools, establish new vocational schools in line with industrial zones and ongoing national projects, activate the role of the private sector in education and training, expand the number of applied technology schools, currently at 71, targeting 100 schools by the end of 2026, and establish standards for the vocational training system in collaboration with stakeholders (industrial, commercial, agricultural, hospitality) through the establishment of Sector Skill Councils and Centers of Competence in selected schools of applied technology in collaboration with the private sector.

The meeting also discussed ways to expand the number of Egyptian Nile schools and establish an institutional framework to activate the role of the private sector.

From the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, attendees included Dr. Mohamed Fathi Saqr, Advisor to the Minister for Plan Preparation, Dr. Jameel Helmi, Assistant Minister for Sustainable Development Plan Monitoring Affairs, Kamal Nasr, Assistant Minister for Technical Office Affairs, Wael Ziadah, Assistant Minister for Economic and Investment Affairs, Hatem Lathy, Advisor to the Minister for Monetary and Banking Affairs, Ismail Youssef, Supervisor of Plan Preparation and Monitoring Sector, Dr. Mohamed El Maghraby, Supervisor of Human and Social Development Sector, Dr. Mohamed El Akaby, Minister's Media Advisor, and Ayman Rizk, Executive Director of the Sovereign Fund for Education.

From the Ministry of Education and Technical Education, attendees included Dr. Ahmed Daher, Deputy Minister for Technological Development, Major General Alaa Attawia, Deputy Minister, Dr. Ahmed El Mahdy, Assistant Minister for Quality and Strategic Planning, Major General Youssef Salem, Assistant Minister for General Authority for Educational Buildings Affairs, Dr. Amr Basila, Head of Central Administration for Technical Education Development and Director of Operation and Management Unit for Applied Technology Schools, Colonel Ahmed Nabil, Head of Central Administration for Financial and Administrative Affairs, and Shadi Zalata, Media Advisor and Spokesperson for the Ministry.