Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister for Human Development and Minister of Health and Population, has directed the formation of a higher advisory committee for human development to evaluate the national project and develop operational mechanisms for its implementation, leveraging both local and international expertise. During a meeting of the Ministerial Group for Human Development on Tuesday, he emphasized the importance of holding regular meetings with the committee to discuss proposed concepts and achieve unified goals that align with the vision of human development. According to Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the official spokesperson for the group, the Deputy Prime Minister highlighted the need to enhance students' capabilities to meet the demands of the modern labour market. He stressed the importance of focusing on technical education, creating clear pathways that encourage students to pursue it, thus improving practical skills and meeting market needs. The meeting also discussed a joint vision between the Ministries of Education, Technical Education, and Higher Education and Scientific Research to revamp Egypt's education system as part of the comprehensive development strategy, particularly through initiatives like the "Egyptian Baccalaureate" and "Foundation Year." Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, outlined this vision, which aims to modernize the education system so students can enter fields that align with their skills and labour market requirements. He explained that the new system intends to ease the financial burden on families by reducing the number of subjects and creating an integrated educational path from secondary school, focusing on skill development. Ashour also discussed the creation of educational paths in fields such as natural sciences, engineering and technology, business administration, social sciences, and the arts. He added that future specializations, such as artificial intelligence, genomic medicine, the Internet of Things, the digital economy, space sciences, and nuclear energy, would also be included. Mohamed Abdel Latif, Minister of Education and Technical Education, presented the proposed Egyptian Baccalaureate system, detailing its division into a preparatory stage (first secondary grade) and a main stage (second and third secondary grades). He discussed the academic subjects, grading distribution, and the potential for multiple exam attempts. Abdel Latif emphasized that the new system aims to reduce the number of subjects to lessen the financial and academic burden on families, offering exemptions for those unable to pay fees. He added that the development of this system was based on a thorough review of previous studies and global educational systems to enhance graduate efficiency and better equip them for the labour market.
