UNICEF: Student Literacy Rates Rose From 54.5% to 86.1% in 2026

Weak reading and writing levels among Egyptian students declined from 45.5% in 2025 to 13.9% in 2026, according to figures presented during a conference reviewing two years of education reform measures.

The findings were presented by UNICEF during the ‘Envisioning Egypt’s Future in Education’ conference held in the New Administrative Capital under the title ‘Presenting the Results of Egypt’s Education Reform Study: Evidence, Progress, and Future Vision’.

The event was organised by the Ministry of Education and Technical Education in cooperation with UNICEF, according to a statement issued by the cabinet. The study also reported that school attendance increased from 15% to 87% during the reform period, while the annual number of school days rose from 110 to 174.

According to the findings, classroom density in primary schools declined from 63 students per classroom during the 2023/2024 academic year to 41 students in 2025/2026.

Authorities attributed the reduction to capacity expansion measures that reallocated 45,248 spaces inside schools for classroom use and restored 53,496 previously unused spaces, increasing total capacity by 20%. On staffing, the study cited a shortage approaching 470,000 teachers in core subjects.

Officials stated that more than 133,340 teachers were recruited under part-time contracts, alongside a government plan to appoint 30,000 teachers annually.

According to the study, the measures increased teaching capacity by 33%. UNICEF said the research was conducted by Egyptian researchers using random sampling and multiple data verification methods.