Excellence in education is essential to a prosperous future for Egypt, writes Ismail Serageldin* As the world moves into the knowledge- based economy of the 21st century, it is becoming increasingly clear that Egypt, like many other developing countries, must retool its educational and training system to better fit the needs of the coming times. This is a continuous process and no matter how successful past policies may have been they are not necessarily the ones best suited to the needs of new and rapidly evolving challenges. Even powerhouses like Korea are revising their education and training systems to meet new demands. A vision for Egypt Egypt needs to develop cadres of highly trained individuals of talent to lead the institutional reforms necessary to be part of the new knowledge-based economy of the 21st century. Such cadres will require excellence in training from basic education through universities and must have access to a variety of centres of excellence to carry out the necessary research and development (R&D) that will transform Egyptian industry and agriculture and enable Egypt to be competitive in the fast growing fields of the new economy. To do this, major and in-depth reform is needed. The large education system that we have developed must continue to function with a primary focus on basic education and the schools' socialising function, along with a new emphasis on the importance of science and technology. In parallel, a smaller stream of rigorously controlled experimental elite schools should be founded and allowed to flourish on a different administrative milieu. These would feed centres of excellence at the higher education level where appropriate R&D would be undertaken to transform the Egyptian economy. Over the longer haul, the entire educational system should be retooled to a much more vigorous and institutionally diverse system that works much more closely with the private sector and where the focus is on ability not certification. A key long-range reform will be to break the automatic perception of a certificate- employment link that exists to this day. This two-phase solution is necessary to have a manageable proposition to build the kind of human resources that Egypt needs in the next two decades. Moving along a broad front is bound to fail as the inertia in the system is vast and the personal interest of key actors (ie teachers giving private lessons) should not be underestimated. However, the immediate focus on a narrower slice of the system to create excellence in the midst of mediocrity should not be seen as a substitute for the absolutely necessary longer-term overhaul of the entire educational system. It is largely a matter of phasing. This vision of an institutionally diverse system, with many types of institutions offering many different types of training, will allow for the constant change and adaptation of the offerings needed at a time when lifelong learning will be a necessity and not a slogan. The backbone of the whole system will still remain the structured, government- sponsored public educational and training institutions, all the way to the higher education level. Particular parts of that system will be allowed the institutional autonomy to become real centres of excellence comparable to the best in the world. They would not be subjected to the quotas and seniority systems that have destroyed so much of the Egyptian higher education system. It can be done Difficult but essential, such reforms and the creation of centres of excellence are absolutely necessary for the transformation of Egypt. It must be pursued vigorously, without deviation and with no compromises on the essential aspects of reform. Numerous examples of success stories in other developing countries point the way. India's elite institutes of technology and science are prime examples of how such institutions can flourish in a country that is populous and poor and where social pressure for education remains high. Centres of excellence can coexist with enormous enrolments in a politicised environment. The Mexican National University is an example. The R&D efforts launched in national centres of excellence can be the driving force bringing government, industry and the university together. Korea and Singapore are prime examples. It can be done here. Political dimensions of reform The political dimensions of reform will be reflected in at least six areas. First, no direct attack against free public education. The reform envisages continuing the free universal public education system, but would allow private (fee paying) schools to coexist with a minimum of government intervention in their management. These schools would have to survive the market test of the satisfaction of parents for the fee-paying primary schools, and of the employability of their graduates for vocational schools and higher education institutions. Second, addressing the needs of employers. The private sector is already focusing on ability, not just certification. With the gradual decline of the guaranteed public employment of graduates, the stage is set for the single most important reform: the de- linking of the certification function from employment. If there is concern in some professions (eg medicine), allow the profession itself to organise professional certification for market entry. This is routine in the US, where board certification for medicine, and the bar exams for law come after formal graduation from medical or law schools, even for graduates of the best universities. This gives power to professional associations that could become important allies in reform. Third, involving parents. No group is more directly interested in the education of children than their parents, and their direct involvement is a guarantor of better quality in schools (despite occasional problems with content). The promotion of parent teacher associations as a key reform measure will also help build up the political constituency for the reform programme. Fourth, involving the private sector. Especially in vocational training and in higher education, and their support for centres of excellence in the promotion of R&D, involving the private sector will ensure that mediation between industry, government and the private sector occurs at the cutting edge of the reform programme. Fifth, harnessing new information and communication technologies. This would be an attractive item in presenting the reform package to the public and would be absolutely essential for the longer-term benefit of national education and research. The digital libraries of tomorrow are vital if we are to keep pace with rapid developments in science and technology worldwide. We cannot afford to be left behind in the knowledge explosion we are witnessing. Finally, creating a national climate for the culture of science. It is essential that rationality and the language of science become widely accepted as the vehicle for transformation and progress. Today, an obscurantist wave of religious zeal can obstruct national efforts towards an in-depth transformation of the education and training system. The example of Malaysia shows that an Islamic country can indeed promote science and its attendant values as a part of its Islamic identity. Conclusions Difficult but essential, the reform of systems of education is top among the priorities of any serious long-term reform effort in any country. The necessity of change cannot be denied; not even by the most recently successful countries in the world, such as Korea. The policies of the past, no matter how successful they were, are not necessarily the most suitable to address the challenges of the future. Driven by the unrelenting pace of an accelerating revolution in science and technology, the world is changing before our very eyes. Who could have predicted the impact of the Internet a mere 20 years ago? We cannot procrastinate. Education reform must start now. The challenges we are facing today, and those that we will be facing tomorrow, are challenges imposed by this rapidly changing world, where the only constant is change, and the only certainty is the acceleration of the rate of change. * The writer is Director of the Library of Alexandria
