Student Attendance in Egyptian Schools Increased From 15% to 87%

School attendance in Egypt has risen to 87%, up from 15%, according to figures presented by Minister of Education and Technical Education Mohamed Abdel-Latif during a meeting with World Bank Regional Director for Egypt, Yemen and Djibouti Stefan Emblad.

The figures, cited from a UNICEF study, were presented as part of a review of ongoing education reforms and discussions on future areas of cooperation.

According to the ministry, average teaching capacity has increased by 33%, while class sizes have fallen to fewer than 50 students per classroom. The ministry also reported improvements in literacy outcomes through a national Arabic language development programme.

The proportion of students experiencing difficulties with reading and writing declined from 45.5% in the first phase of the programme to 32.4% in the second phase and 13.9% in the third.

In recent years, curriculum reforms have been introduced across all grade levels with the aim of shifting learning approaches away from memorisation and towards critical thinking.

Weekly and monthly assessments have also been introduced as part of efforts to improve attendance and student engagement. Additional reforms are being implemented in partnership with Japan.

An updated mathematics curriculum introduced for first-grade primary students is scheduled to expand to second and third grades during the upcoming academic year.

Work is also underway to develop science and mathematics courses for the Egyptian Baccalaureate in cooperation with Japanese education specialists. The ministry has further signed an agreement with the International Baccalaureate Organization to review examination frameworks and assessment methods.

On the digital education front, first-year secondary students are now studying programming and artificial intelligence through Japan's Kiryo platform. Financial literacy and entrepreneurship have also been introduced into the secondary school curriculum for the first time.