Egypt's Deputy Minister of Social Solidarity Margaret Sarofim met with Egypt's Ambassador to Japan Ragy El-Etreby to discuss enhanced collaboration on early childhood development between the two countries, the Cabinet said on Sunday. Sarofim praised the ongoing cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in developing early childhood education and applying the Japanese Tokkatsu model in nurseries across Egypt. She emphasised the need to invest in human capital development and showed interest in expanding collaboration to support the elderly and people with disabilities through knowledge-sharing and international experience exchange. Sarofim highlighted that early childhood development is a top priority for the Ministry of Social Solidarity and noted that the ministry is currently implementing a comprehensive national census of nurseries across Egypt. The census aims to document all early childhood care institutions and create an integrated database and geographic mapping system to support policy and decision-making, according to the announcement. Sarofim added that the partnership with JICA provides a strong example of creating a high-quality educational and developmental environment, including the training of qualified caregivers and facilitators aligned with modern pedagogical standards. Ambassador El-Etreby expressed his appreciation for the efforts made in early childhood development and reaffirmed his commitment to supporting further Egypt–Japan cooperation in this field, as stated in the release. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: M. S. Salama
