On Sunday a new school year begins across Egypt, including the opening of Egyptian-Japanese schools. The schools had been scheduled to open in October 2017, however, that was called off at the last minute to ensure that all the schools were completely furnished. On 12 September this year, the Ministry of Education's website announced the names of the students and teachers who were accepted in the Japanese schools for the 2018-2019 academic year. Students numbering 13,240 were accepted in the 34 Egyptian-Japanese schools, according to Al-Youm Al-Sabei news website. In July, the ministry started accepting applications for enrolment in Egyptian- Japanese schools after spending several months revising admission standards. “The ministry worked with a company that turns teaching content into digital content, and trained first grade teachers,” ministry spokesman Ahmed Khairy said this week on television. The ministry also chose the teachers for the schools and is contacting them to start training courses this week held by Japanese experts. “We are contacting the parents of the children via e-mail to start the admission process,” Khairy added. The ministry wants to build 100 Egyptian-Japanese schools in Egypt, he said. Deputy Minister of Education for Teachers' Affairs Mohamed Omar says 34 English teacher trainers, 68 head teachers and deputy head teachers have already been coached. The schools are aimed at the middle class by providing students with elite education. Tuition is LE10,000 and Arabic will be the language of instruction, said a ministry press release. “I think that the new Egyptian-Japanese schools would be a unique experience for our children given the activities they will do and the new approach that will be used especially with children in kindergarten and primary stages,” said Hoda Al-Sayed, a mother whose child was one of the lucky ones. However, Al-Sayed is not too happy with the fees, finding them more expensive than experimental government schools and almost as expensive as private language schools. The schools are to implement the Tokkatsu Plus system with the assistance of Japanese expertise. The system is meant to harmonise the development of the mind and body of a child while strengthening his or her personality and enhancing positive and practical behaviour. It also seeks to help them build human relationships in society and enhance the ability of children to self-develop. This is achieved through group activities that the schools hold, including sports and cultural days, teaching children personal hygiene, classroom cleanliness, organisation and taking turns in class responsibilities. “The Ministry of Education plans to train 1,000 teachers on the Tokkatsu Plus system and 1,000 Arabic teachers,” Omar said. The Educational Buildings Authority (EBA) allocates a building to the Ministry of Education which refits it to conform to Japanese standards. Some schools were built especially for the Japanese system of learning while others already had the required set-up. Experts in the Japanese educational model had visited Cairo to oversee implementation. Khairy said foreign language children will be taught in an innovative way and classes will have less students. The schools will be equipped to provide artistic and sports activities.
