Egypt, Japan cooperate to introduce ‘Financial Literacy’ curriculum for Egyptian secondary school students

CAIRO – 27 April 2026: Mohamed Abdel Latif, Minister of Education and Technical Education, received Mr. Mitsuo Ochi, President of Hiroshima University, and his accompanying delegation, to discuss implementing the "Financial Literacy" curriculum for secondary school students. 

A memorandum of understanding regarding this curriculum is scheduled to be signed on April 27 between the two sides in cooperation with the Japanese educational organization "SPRIX,” said the Egyptian Cabinet in a statement on Monday.

During the meeting, Minister Mohamed Abdel Latif reaffirmed the Egyptian government’s commitment to drawing on Japan’s pioneering experience in education. He highlighted that promoting financial literacy among secondary school students helps build awareness of saving, investment, and entrepreneurship, equipping them to navigate economic changes in a responsible and informed manner.

The minister also reviewed the ongoing Egyptian–Japanese cooperation in teaching programming and artificial intelligence through the “Kirio” platform, which has attracted strong interest from first-year secondary students. He noted that the program, along with awarding successful students in the “TOFAS” exam a certificate accredited by Hiroshima University, has had a positive impact, significantly enhancing students’ skills in line with the demands of the digital age and labor market.

Abdel Latif further underscored the ministry’s commitment to expanding cooperation with Japan in training educational personnel to achieve a qualitative improvement in the education system.

For his part, the President of Hiroshima University expressed his pleasure at visiting Egypt, affirming the university’s commitment to strengthening cooperation with the Ministry of Education. He praised the success of joint efforts, particularly in teaching programming and artificial intelligence to first-year secondary students.

Egyptian students will soon have the option to study Japanese as an elective subject starting in the seventh grade. In a statement to the Middle East News Agency (MENA), Japanese Ambassador to Egypt Fumio Iwai confirmed that the new curriculum will be introduced in the upcoming academic year as part of a deepening educational partnership.

The language initiative coincides with a major expansion of the Egypt-Japan School (EJS) project. Ambassador Iwai revealed plans to increase the number of these institutions from 69 to 90 in the near future. He emphasized that Japan’s support spans the entire educational spectrum, from kindergarten to postgraduate studies.