CAIRO: After a successful first year, the Graduate School of Education (GSE) at The American University in Cairo (AUC) has launched a new master's degree program in international and comparative education. Already it has drawn more than 26 students in its first semester, the university said on Sunday. “The new MA represents a milestone for the university since it is the first graduate education degree at AUC. This is a very significant contribution to Egypt's educational reform priorities,” said Samiha Peterson, distinguished professor and GSE's interim dean. Requirements for the master's degree include a set of core curricula focusing on the development of research, evaluation and assessment skills, social foundations of education and international and comparative education. In addition to these requirements, students select one of three concentrations: pre-K-12 teacher education, educational leadership, and international education policy and planning. All students are required to complete supervised fieldwork at a school or an organization to integrate theory and research with on the ground experience. Students are expected to do a thesis or a supervised applied project. Students enrolled in the Fall 2010 program include engineers, doctors and senior school and secondary school teachers. “Our students are interested in developing careers in education in Egypt, but they have not acquired the specialized background they will need to teach in a chosen field or discipline,” said Russane Hozayin, associate professor of practice, who has been instrumental in the development of the GSE professional educator diploma. Laila Kerdani, a master's student with a concentration in international education policy and planning, chose GSE because she acknowledges the importance of education for the advancement of the Egyptian society. “I realize there is a lot of work that needs to be done in the educational sector and I hope that through this program, I will have enough tools, information and knowledge to contribute effectively to the reform of Egypt's educational system,” said Kerdani, who comes to the program with a BA and an MA from AUC in business and economics. Mona Maurice Makramalla, a primary school teacher whose concentration is in pre-K-12, realizes that education is a field that is continually evolving. “As you discover more, you become more aware of what you can do to become a better teacher,” said Maurice. “I am interested in education, and I believe it is the key to the development of any society, and we definitely need it in Egypt,” she added. Senior faculty members were recruited to contribute to the start up activities of the MA initiative. They include, Professor Amal Sedky Winter, who was involved throughout her career in the field of educational psychology and clinical counseling in various higher educational institutions in California; Professor Colette Chabbott, who has spent her career in international academia and education development fieldwork; Professor and AUC graduate Malak Zaalouk, whose extensive career with UNICEF included her most recent appointment as regional education advisor for Middle East and North Africa; and Associate Professor Peggy Norman, whose training and career in educational administration included involvement with different levels of schools in the state of Georgia, U.S. In addition to the launch of the MA program, GSE enrolled 65 new students in its diploma program in Fall 2010, reaching a total number of over 200 students this semester. Some of these students are supported by tuition scholarships, including 20 Ministry of Education professionals, who are recipients of the ExxonMobil Egypt scholarships. An additional 20 Ministry of Education administrators received a scholarship awards funded by an AUC alumnus donor, in addition to four scholarships offered by Orascom, a well-known Egyptian group of companies. BM
