28 Egyptian-Japanese schools to function next academic year

CAIRO – 9 July 2017: Online application for Egyptian-Japanese schools is set to be launched within days through the official website of the Ministry of Education and Technical Training, according to a statement by the Ministry on Saturday.

Twenty eight schools, out of 45, should be functioning by the beginning of the academic year of 2018, Minister of Education Tarek Shawky stated, adding that there is a strong demand for enrollment in the Japanese schools.

This is one of the most important experiences applied by the Ministry to enhance the education system, Shawky said, explaining that the model aims at building the personality of the children, establishing a balanced development of the social, emotional and academic aspects and raising the education level.

During a visit to Japan early last year, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and announced a joint partnership in education, built upon applying the Japanese education model Tokkatsu, which consists of class activities, club activities, pupils' council activities and school events.

The application will be opened in a few days and will last for two weeks, said Yasser el-Gazar, responsible of planning at the Egyptian-Japanese schools unit at the Ministry.

There are four kinds of schools, some consist of one classroom for 40 pupils, which apply to the elementary (primary) education phase; others consist of two classrooms (up to preparatory education). As for the schools of three or four classrooms, accommodating up to 160 children, they shall extend to the secondary education phase, Gazar explained.

The fees for the Egyptian-Japanese schools will range from two to four thousand Egyptian pounds, taking into consideration the residential area where the school is located, sources revealed.

The Japanese education model was proven successful in 12 schools in 2016-2017 in Cairo, Giza and Qalyubia governorates, leading up to the decision to generalize the system, Chairman of the General Education Sector Reda Hegazy stated in April.

The Japanese experience has included ten activities a day, such as the collection of garbage by students once a day in the morning, monitoring the daily feeding habits of each student, heeding music, arts and painting, spreading awareness of personal hygiene and developing teamwork skills.