CAIRO: University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE), the world's largest provider of international qualifications for 14 to 19 year olds, recently held a forum in Cairo for the principals of national and international schools in Egypt that offer Cambridge IGCSE. At the forum, Nick Sansome, CIE's Assistant Director, provided a statistical analysis of how well Egyptian students test against the rest of the world. The Cambridge International A Level comparisons show that 28 percent of Egyptian students received a grade A - a figure that is 4 percent higher than UK A level students and 8 percent higher than the rest of the world. Comparisons for the Cambridge International AS Level indicate that 23 percent of students in Egypt received a grade A, which is 5 percent higher than UK AS-level students and 4 percent higher than test scores in the rest of the world. Finally, the Cambridge IGCSE Level comparisons reveal that Egyptian students scored higher in grade categories A*, A and B, than other students from around the world. And Egyptian students scored highest in business studies, biology, as well as accounting. "The results were outstanding, showing the tremendous work going on in Egypt to develop successful students, said Sansome. During the forum, Principals were updated on CIE's new project, "Cambridge International Teaching Certificate & Diploma for Teachers and Trainers. Egypt's minister of education visited Cambridge in January 2007 and approved a pilot project for training Egyptian teachers for the "Cambridge International Teaching Certificate & Diploma. In March, Robert Burkill, CIE chief examiner for the Cambridge International Teaching Certificate and Diploma for Teachers and Trainers, worked intensively to train 14 teachers to become master trainers. Currently, a group of 30 teachers are working on the certificate and expect to finish by end of June 2007. "We are delighted to be working with the Egyptian Ministry of Education on this project, said Christine Daw, CIE's Regional Manager for the Middle East and North Africa. "We believe we have developed a training programme that incorporates all the needs of Egyptian teachers while adhering to the international standards adopted and implemented all over the world by Cambridge. All courses were translated into Arabic, and experienced teachers, supervisors and evaluators were recruited to make sure the program follows the required standards. When teachers complete the program, they receive a CIE international certificate, added Daw.
