By the Gazette Editorial Board The Dabaa Nuclear Technology School, the first of its kind in Egypt and the Arab world, has set a new standard for technical schools in Egypt. The boarding school, which consists of nine buildings, was constructed at el-Dabaa on the north coast in the vicinity of the country's first ever projected nuclear power plant. The school, which opened last year at a temporary building in Cairo, was officially inaugurated this week at the new site. Its purpose is to cater to the needs of the proposed nearby nuclear power plant for a well-trained technical workforce. The school will indeed open the way wide for its graduates who wish to pursue further study in this vital domain. So, by the time the school's first students graduate, the project will already be operational. The school administration was keen to subject applicants to several admission exams and interviews in order to pick the best elements for the five-year study. Moreover, the school, which is affiliated to Matruh Governorate, has been keen to allocate 40 per cent of its enrollment capacity to applicants from the governorate, a policy which takes into consideration employment prerequisites on a geographical basis. The launching of the school before the start of the construction of the nuclear plant is a well-planned step. And it has to be commended because given the country's bureaucratic legacy, planning has usually failed to keep pace with set schedules. In the case of the nuclear technology school, its opening is an important event because it means that the country is going nuclear according to a well-designed vision. The school should open the way for building similar educational institutes that cater to the state's inclination to expand its use of renewable energy such as solar and wind energy. However, the school sets an example for the quantum leap needed to develop technical education. The country is heading, under a reform plan, towards boosting production and diversifying industrial activities. But it is no secret that poly-technical education is still not up to standard nor is it attracting the kind of pupils who will be capable of leading the cherished development after their graduation. In fact, the country is in dire need of high-level technical schools in various domains. In this respect, tribute should be paid to a group of businessmen who took the initiative to build a series of schools for applied technology to provide the market with highly skilled labour. The Ministry of Education, which has already started a new strategy to develop the educational system, is required to move on as soon as possible to technical education, which should be a mainstay for the country's 2030 vision.
