Education is a national security pillar for Egypt’s ‘New Republic’, PM says

““The Egyptian state views education as a national security issue, and a main pillar in the project to build the ‘New Republic’,” Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said on Wednesday, outlining the government’s long-term reform vision to overhaul the educational system. Speaking in the New Administrative Capital at a conference titled “Securing Egypt’s Future Through Education Transformation: New Evidence, Progress, and the Way Forward,” Madbouly stated that genuine investment begins with building human capabilities and that education quality is the primary determinant of a state’s economic competitiveness. Addressing the country’s global standing, the prime minister told attendees, including economist Mahmoud Mohieldin, that Egypt is not satisfied with its current ranking of 161 on the Human Capital Index. While noting the figure is the highest in the immediate region among countries with similar conditions, he stressed the government’s ambition to significantly improve the ranking. Madbouly noted that nations such as China, Singapore, and Malaysia required between 20 and 45 years of continuous effort to achieve their high educational indicators. Egypt is currently 10 years into its own reform programme, navigating complex global crises and domestic challenges, including 15 years marked by political uprisings and terrorism. Despite current funding challenges, the education and health sectors continue to secure the highest annual state investments. Madbouly highlighted the role of educators, noting that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the government recently approved financial incentives and salary increases to prioritise teachers above other state sectors. “Investment in the teacher is a direct investment in the future of the nation,” Madbouly said, describing the Egyptian teacher as the primary pillar of the educational process and the element most capable of shaping national identity. In the higher education sector, the number of universities has expanded from 50 a decade ago to more than 120 today. This growth includes new national, technological, and private institutions, alongside branches of international universities. Madbouly said curricula, which previously remained static for up to a decade between the 1970s and 1990s, must now be updated annually to prevent illiteracy in modern fields such as artificial intelligence and financial inclusion. The conference, organised by the Ministry of Education and Technical Education in cooperation with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), also reviewed recent independent data on the primary education sector. According to the presented study, the proportion of Egyptian school children suffering from reading and writing difficulties has dropped to 14% from 45.5%, while daily classroom attendance has surged to 87% from 15%. Average class sizes have also been reduced to 41 students, down from previous averages of 63, with some areas historically experiencing overcrowding of 100 to 120 students per classroom. Madbouly noted that 45 years ago, when the national population was 43 million compared to today’s 110 million, average class sizes in the distinguished public schools he attended stood at 43 students. To verify these reported improvements on the ground, the prime minister said he conducts unannounced school visits during provincial tours to observe classroom dynamics and ask students to read directly from their textbooks. Addressing the Minister of Education and Technical Education, Madbouly stressed the importance of sustaining these statistical improvements year-on-year. He added that long-term educational reform requires an institutional approach based on scientific evaluation and collaboration among state institutions, the private sector, civil society, and international development partners. The post Education is a national security pillar for Egypt’s ‘New Republic’, PM says first appeared on Dailynewsegypt .

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