Educational reform must go beyond enrolment rates and numbers of schools, writes Magda Shahin* Why exactly is there steady complaint about Egypt's educational system? After all, we have overcome a hurdle to give more Egyptians access to education. Efforts to raise enrolment rates have paid off in all three educational levels over the past decade: from 83.7 per cent to 98.3 per cent in primary, 61.4 per cent to 87.1 per cent in secondary and from 18.1 per cent to 32.6 per cent in higher education. But promising enrolment figures are overshadowed by concerning unemployment rates, especially amongst the educated. Roughly 80 per cent of the total unemployed population is comprised of university graduates and intermediate vocational trainees, the two echelons of the education system that are receiving the majority of government expenditures on education. Egypt's schools and universities do not fare well even when compared to Arab neighbours. Regretfully, since 1991, public expenditures on education as a percentage of GDP remain practically unchanged at 3.8 per cent. With an increasing number of educated people unable to find jobs, it has become apparent that the higher number of schools and classrooms has not equalled a better quality of education. The general consensus is that throughout the years, those in charge of the educational system have only paid lip service to the quality of education. As the standard curricula focuses primarily on memorisation, students do not develop analytical skills and creativity that are in demand by today's labour market. Our core problem is obvious -- lack of quality education that leads to de-linkage between today's private sector requirements and degree holders. Other countries, notably Asian ones, realised early on that in order to sustain growth they had to improve the quality of their educational system. Increasing student performance in science and mathematics were key determinants of their educational reform, which developed a more productive, technology-based economy capable of creating and utilising technological innovations. Identifying the core problem of quality is half the battle, yet to spur reforms we need a catalyst for change within the Egyptian education system. Both developed and developing nations alike are wielding information and communication technology (ICT) to dramatically improve the skills and abilities of students and to stimulate engaged participation by all citizens. ICT, when fully integrated into schools, universities and communities, is a difference maker, a bridge builder and a vehicle for innovation. The Egyptian government is seemingly aware of this need for reform, and has embarked on a series of partnerships with the private sector to introduce ICT into the learning process. Noteworthy initiatives include the ICT for Illiteracy Eradication project (ICT4IE), which won the UN's 2009 World Summit Award for its creative use of ICT to teach Egyptians how to read. There is also the Smart Schools Network (SSN) and the Egyptian Education Initiative (EEI), which have both brought ICT to students and teachers of all levels in Egypt's education system. Additionally, Egypt's Information Technology Industry Development Agency's (ITIDA) Edu-Egypt supports ICT proficiency amongst university students to ready them for the labour market. The ability of the government to partner with the private sector and mobilise resources and deliver impact is indeed commendable. However, the beneficiaries remain in the thousands, while roughly 16 million students need to benefit from "ICT-driven learning", as put by Sherif Kamel, dean of the AUC Business School. Yet we cannot let these remaining challenges discourage us, nor can progress to date make us complacent. What we need to do now is address two realities: e-education adoption is a long-term project and does not yield nationwide benefits in the short-term; and the central components of a knowledge economy are still lacking in Egypt. It is essential to recognise that educational reform must go beyond simply increasing enrolment rates, schools, classrooms and teachers. If we want to be rightly placed among emerging economies, we need to revamp our educational system at all three levels: primary, secondary and higher education. Training students, teachers and staff to use new technologies effectively will help boost the quality of Egypt's education and also help secure future socioeconomic prosperity. Additionally, the ministries of education, higher education and communication and information technology need to work closely. The three ministries must jointly develop the national e-education strategy to prevent duplication and to maximise impact. A fusion of the education and ICT sectors must entail collaborations between the three ministries. Both the ICT and education agendas are heading in the right direction and yet must become increasingly intertwined. Training yields dividends in the long-term and building student and teacher ICT capacities is as important as installing computers and high bandwidth access. Policymakers need to think of how to achieve both educational and ICT goals simultaneously to lessen the digital divide within Egypt's education system and push our country into the ranks of today's global knowledge economies. * The writer is director of the Trade Related Assistance Centre of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt (AmCham). This article is part of a new study by AmCham on the ICT industry in Egypt and its role in the country's social and economic development.
