What does the new Thanaweya Amma system mean for foreign certificates? The Education Ministry earlier this month announced a new, revamped Thanaweya Amma system that aims to compete with equivalent foreign certificates. The new system reduces the number of subjects required for high school students and puts a larger emphasis on critical thinking and analysis — a move which could hurt demand for private and international schools.

THE NEW SYSTEM AT A GLANCE-

The revamped system in a nutshell: Starting the upcoming academic year, only six subjects will count toward the final grades of first- and second-year students in high school, down from ten and eight, respectively. Meanwhile, third-year students will only take five graded subjects instead of seven. Second foreign languages, geology, and psychology will all become pass/fail subjects, meaning they won’t impact the final grade.

The goal: The new system aims to help students develop strong analytical and practical skills, rather than merely having superficial knowledge of the curriculum.

It won’t be easy: Some students may struggle to adjust to the new teaching styles that are more focused on practical application rather than memorization, according to the Education Ministry.

A lifeline for teachers: Teachers whose subjects have been removed from the Thanaweya Amma curriculum will be given financial incentives and support to help them take on other subjects, provided that they “demonstrate commitment to implement the new system.” They will be evaluated based on the new system’s standards.

THE PRIVATE SCHOOLS TAKE-

Private school owners are not worried, with those we have spoken to downplaying concerns about the new system, affirming that the demand for these international certificates persists due to the quality of the education provided, as well as the future they offer students. Additionally, there continues to be a significant gap between the number of private schools and the actual demand due to an insufficient number of classrooms in private and international schools amid high birth rates.

The government has no intention of competing with the private sector, our source added — instead, it’s looking to bring balance to the education sector and improve demand for different educational systems, while ensuring that education is provided fairly among different social segments.

Demand for education is on the rise: The population growth rate vastly exceeds the number of schools being established to accommodate new students each year, our source noted, adding that the gap between the number of classrooms needed for pre-university education is growing rapidly each year.

Enter the private sector: The growing demand for education opens the door for private players to expand their investments in the sector, the source added. Meanwhile, the number of new private schools being established is on the decline, with a comparatively limited number of new licenses being issued for private schools in Cairo, Giza, and Alexandria, Association of Private School Owners in Egypt head Badawi Allam told Enterprise.

Prepare for more private investments in the education sphere: The Education Ministry will meet with representatives of private and international schools to encourage investments in the education sector, Allam said, adding that the government and private sector progress in tandem with each other when it comes to education — which leads to a boost in the overall quality of education.

What do private players want? Investors want the General Authority for Educational Buildings to reduce building requirements, which will in turn lower investment costs in the education sector, and for the government to allocate land with facilities similar to that granted for industrial and real estate development, which Allam says would bring significant investments to the sector.

Remember: Despite government incentives aimed at attracting funds into the education sector, private investment continues to be stifled by a number of headwinds — rising costs due to inflation and high interest rates, coupled with inflexible tuition fees, threaten to squeeze investor margins. We dived deeper into what the government is doing to boost private education investment in a Blackboard published earlier this summer.

THE NEW SYSTEM ISN’T WITHOUT FLAWS-

The new system has good ideas — but there’s no way to judge its efficacy without seeing it in action, Allam said. One of the main goals of the new system is cracking down on unlicensed private tutoring centers — closing the private tutoring centers is particularly important, he said, adding that some generate revenues that exceed those of international schools.

The plans to restructure the system and combine certain subjects together also alleviates pressures on both students and parents, Abeer Ahmed, founder of the Egyptian Mothers Union for the Advancement of Education, told Enterprise, emphasizing the importance of removing unnecessary subjects and content from the curriculum. However, she added, there has been a mixed reaction among parents regarding the decision to make some subjects pass/fail subjects so that they don’t impact the final grade.

The system was not preceded by an actual study, educational expert Magdy Hamza said, adding that this means that the decisions were made quickly and without sufficient consideration. Hamza called for a year-long adjustment to train teachers, finetune the curriculum, and prepare the learning environment.

Your top education stories for the week:

  • Rowan University to set up shop in new capital: New Jersey’s Rowan University is set to establish a branch in the New Administrative Capital following the signing of an MoU with the Modern Group University Foundation, which will host the branch.
  • Gov’t increases overtime compensation for teachers: The cabinet has raised the compensation for teachers who work beyond the legal teaching quota to EGP 50 per additional class. (Statement)
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