Forget the after-school commute to sports practices: Parents will soon have an alternative to running around with their children after school in hopes of making it to whatever sports practice they have scheduled for the day — alongside access to world-class education.

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Enter Project Kayan: Our friends at CIRA Education are teaming up with real estate developer Madinet Masr and sports clubs management company Blue Ribbon to set up Project Kayan — bringing together the education of Swiss private school Lemania Swiss International School (LSIS) and the professional sports coaching of Klub Kayan — according to a statement(pdf). The school will be set up in Madinet Masr’s Taj City project in New Cairo.

Who’s who: Madinet Masr has partnered with CIRA subsidiaries Al Ahly CIRA and education management company Eduhive to set up the EGP 350 mn LSIS, a franchise of the Ecole Lemania Swiss School, and with Blue Ribbon to set up the EGP 2 bn Klub Kayan. Eduhive will manage the new school, adding it to its portfolio of six international schools in Egypt.

The details: Project Kayan seeks to bring sports and education under one roof through an integrated program that prepares students for academic and sporting success. Offering the IB program from pre-K to Grade 12, LSIS will have two distinct tracks — one focused on sports in collaboration with Klub Kayan and the other centered around entrepreneurship in partnership with the Swiss Business School Lausanne.

The end goal: The idea is to provide a holistic education for a new generation of athletes and high achievers and offer an education solution tailored to the needs of our youth, all while introducing the first sports-focused Swiss international school to the Middle East.

Not just another international school: Project Kayan is advancing a totally novel concept in the Egyptian education sphere — that a healthy, well-rounded life and academic success are not just simultaneously possible, but are critical to equipping the next generation of leaders with the skills they need to take on the challenges of the future, Madinet Masr CEO Abdallah Sallam said during the presser during which the project was announced.

Key to this is a fresh take on the skills needed to succeed in the 21st century — namely an entrepreneurial spirit and strong character. The hope is that LSIS graduates will be able to secure seats — and sports scholarships — at top universities worldwide, universities that value well-rounded students with strong problem-solving skills and a go-getter mentality. The school will set “a new benchmark for quality education in Egypt,” CIRA CEO Mohamed El Kalla said during the presser.

Nurturing the next Mo Salah or Ali Farag: Project Kayan also seeks to address a perennial issue in Egypt’s professional athlete pipeline — particularly the rate at which would-be athletes abandon sports as academics take precedence. Beyond its plentiful sporting offerings, Klub Kayan will offer a supportive environment for student athletes, covering everything from nutrition to specialized training and mentorship. The hope is that graduates will be competitive for athletic scholarships abroad, El Kalla said, adding that he’d like to see grads represent Egypt at major sporting events.

LSIS’ credentials: The Lemania Swiss Group of Schools brings over 100 years of experience operating schools from its home base in Lausanne and boasts graduates such as recipient of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry Jacques Dubochet and Queen of Norway Sonja Haraldsen.

The first of many? If all goes well, Project Kayan could serve as a model for sports-focused schools around the region, said El Kalla.

ADVISORS- Zaki Hashem acted as Madinet Masr’s legal advisor for the project, and Al Ahly Cira and Eduhive tapped Al Tamimi & Company for legal advisory.

Your top education stories for the week:

  • Thanaweya Amma exams kick off today and run through 20 July.
  • I Am Digital: The Culture Ministry has launched the “I am Digital” initiative to support young talent in programming and AI and develop their digital skills. (Statement)
  • More applied tech schools ahead? Education Minister Reda Hegazy reviewed plans to set up new applied technology schools in various governorates. (Statement)
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