The Education Ministry is asserting itself as the sole body in the country responsible for accrediting international school certificates. International accreditation bodies are now prohibited from dealing directly with schools or parents or collecting fees, according to a letter to foreign accreditation bodies by the General Administration for Private and International Education seen by EnterpriseAM.

It’s also abolishing USD-denominated fees, with accreditation fees that had reached as high as USD 800-1.1k to be replaced with a flat EGP 6k fee for the first copy of the certificate, EGP 3k for a second copy, and EGP 2k for a third copy. However, payments already made to international bodies will not be reimbursed.

Why this matters: The recent increase in accreditation fees — from a more manageable USD 100-200 to the elevated rates seen before the decision — had already placed a significant financial burden on parents. With wartime pressures pressing on the EGP, this financial strain on parents was only set to increase.

The move wasn’t a surprise for many international schools, Starlight Education Chairman Karim Mostafa tells EnterpriseAM. The news followed discussions between the ministry and the Foundation of International Schools in Egypt and was agreed by all parties, he added. “It is a step that was long overdue,” Mostafa argues, adding that he understands from conversations with the ministry that international certificates will still be subject to the same standards.

Unifying accreditation authorities under the government will also close existing loopholes for credential fraud and manipulation. Centralizing the verification process provides the national university admissions office with a far more accurate tool to verify the authenticity of grades, informed sources tell us.

Whether to include students being homeschooled is still under review, with schools reportedly opposing including them in the new localized system, we’re told.

Students will still have a pathway to study abroad, with an exception given for them to get their certificates authenticated directly with international accreditation bodies, as many foreign universities have requirements that the new accreditation system likely won’t meet. These students will pay the bodies directly at a fee decided by the company with no input from the ministry.

The accreditation shift is part of a broader package aimed at reorganizing international education in Egypt. This includes a mandate requiring all international schools to incorporate Arabic language and social studies into students’ final grades, assigning a 10% weighting to each subject for a combined 20% of the total score.

What’s next? International schools must begin submitting comprehensive student enrollment data to local education directorates, with Cairo schools facing a 15 April deadline, followed by Giza and Qalyubia on 16 April. Schools in Alexandria, Sharqia, and Menoufia must submit their data by 19 April, with all remaining governorates wrapping up between 20 and 22 April.

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