Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met on Saturday with a delegation of Japanese education experts to discuss enhancing cooperation on the Japanese school model in Egypt, praising Japan's disciplined and effective contribution to improving teaching quality, according to the presidency. Presidential spokesperson Mohamed El-Shenawy said Al-Sisi welcomed the experts and underscored Japan's key role in supporting the 69 Egyptian-Japanese schools currently operating across the country. The Japanese delegation expressed appreciation for Egypt's support of the programme, noting that eight years of evaluation showed highly positive results. They indicated interest in expanding classes, increasing grade levels, and appointing new teachers following specialised training. Al-Sisi highlighted Egypt's goal of learning from global education models as part of its human development strategy. He stressed the need to expand both the number of Japanese schools and teaching experts, pledging to remove any obstacles to the initiative. In a separate meeting with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Education Minister Mohamed Abdel Latif, Al-Sisi reviewed plans to introduce coding and artificial intelligence curricula for first-year high school students starting in the 2025/2026 academic year. The minister reported that more than 236,000 students had completed training on Japan's "Kiryu" platform and would receive accredited certification from Hiroshima University. AI and coding will also be incorporated into technical education beginning in 2026/2027. The ministry is expanding its network of applied technology schools to 115 institutions in partnership with private-sector companies and international organisations, aiming to provide graduates with accredited qualifications for both local and global job markets. El-Shenawy added that Al-Sisi instructed authorities to increase the number of Japanese schools to 500 within five years, while continuing efforts to reduce classroom density, address teacher shortages, and ensure the timely delivery of textbooks. The minister also noted growing demand for Egypt's new Baccalaureate system, which offers multiple exam pathways, with over 90% of first-year secondary students enrolled. Al-Sisi directed strict measures against exam cheating and called for stronger penalties. He further urged sustained efforts to improve teachers' financial conditions, reinforce discipline and ethical values, and take prompt action against any misconduct within the education system.
