Prepare to see a lot more French schools in Egypt: The Madbouly government — in cooperation with the French side — has plans to add a whole lot of French institutions to the country’s education sphere. Here’s what to expect:

A diverse educational setting: Egypt’s education system is highly diverse across both the K-12 and higher education levels, offering a wide range of local and international curricula for the 25 mn students in the country, to which an additional 1 mn is added each year.

Setting the scene: The British Curriculum widely dominates Egypt’s international education landscape, but French schools are stepping up their game.

As things stand: Egypt currently hosts 15 schools that offer the French international Baccalaureate (BAC) and 53 private schools that teach French as a first language, according to data seen by EnterpriseAM. Cairo and Alexandria are home to 37 LabelFranceEducation-accredited schools as of the current academic year, up from only 14 in 2022. The accreditation — awarded by France’s Europe and Foreign Affairs Ministry — hit 37 this academic year, up from 14 in 2022.

Plans to significantly increase this figure are in the works: Egypt and France have been cooperating to increase the number of schools that teach French as a first language, with direct support from the French government, aiming to push the number to 100 schools by 2030. The two sides inked an MoU to establish the schools during French President Emmanuel Macron’s time in Cairo last week.

The bigger picture: With demand rising, the Madbouly government has a goal to add 1k new private schools by 2030.

It’s about a lot more than just setting up new schools: The collaboration between the two countries could be a chance to improve Egypt’s education system, with France bringing in expertise in curriculum development, interactive teaching methods, and teacher training, all of which would boost the quality of education for Egyptian students, Education Minister Mohamed Abdel Latif said. French Ambassador to Egypt Eric Chevallier further stressed France’s commitment to supporting the training of Egyptian teachers through advanced programs.

New programs in the works: Both countries are looking into expanding cooperation through the Trefle Project, which aims to improve French curricula and raise the professional level of French teachers in Egypt. Another joint program in the pipeline will provide after-school French education for 5k students across 100 schools, offering French language instruction, teacher training, quality assurance, and subsidized DELF certification — a diploma awarded by the French Education Ministry reflecting a candidate’s proficiency in French.

Beyond traditional education: The partnership between the two nations could also boost Egypt's vocational training programs. The French side will help develop technical curricula and introduce new specializations that align with industry needs, Abdel Latif noted.

Egyptians love French: Demand for French as a second language is growing among Egyptian students, Private School Owners Association Deputy Chairman Badawy Allam told EnterpriseAM, adding that Egypt has a longstanding history of teaching the language across schools and universities.

New dual degrees in the pipeline: Egyptian students will soon be able to earn both French and Egyptian degrees under new agreements signed between the French University in Egypt and nine leading French universities. The partnerships include programs in fields tailored to the needs of the Egyptian, Arab, and African markets. Cairo University will also expand its French language programs under this agreement.

What are the agreements in question? Egyptian and French universities signed a framework agreement to offer dual degrees in 15 academic fields and 100 PhD scholarships. Some 42 cooperation agreements were signed between 13 Egyptian universities and 22 French ones to offer 70 academic programs, including 30 dual-degree programs. The agreements also cover plans to enhance joint curricula, exchange programs, and educational and scientific cooperation in various areas. Another academic and research cooperation agreement was signed between the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport and France’s ULCO.

It’s not just France that could help us improve our education system, with the Education Ministry also pursuing education cooperation with the US, Germany, Japan, Italy, and the UK, a government source told EnterpriseAM. The goal is to internationalize the Egyptian education system, expand student exchange programs, and modernize curricula to meet global standards.

The bigger picture: Egypt is working to internationalize its higher education system and strengthen global academic partnerships, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Egyptian State Universities Mostafa Rifat told us, adding that the country is focused on exchanging expertise with international partners. The effort is part of a wider strategy to improve education quality, enhance research, and better prepare graduates for global and local labor market demands, Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Hossam Osman said.

Your top education story for the week: Saxony Egypt University for Applied Science and Technology (SEU) has officially opened as Greater Cairo’s largest private tech university.

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