{"id":574163,"date":"2020-09-01T03:45:50","date_gmt":"2020-09-01T03:45:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2020\/09\/01\/what-were-tracking-on-1-september-2020\/"},"modified":"2020-09-01T03:45:50","modified_gmt":"2020-09-01T03:45:50","slug":"what-were-tracking-on-1-september-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2020\/09\/01\/what-were-tracking-on-1-september-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"What we\u2019re tracking on 1 September 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to September, ladies and gentlemen<\/strong>, and with it the promise of (slightly) cooler days, a return to school for kids of all ages and the start to 2021 budget planning season.<\/p>\n

Starting today, Egyptian nationals will join foreigners in <\/strong>needing to show a negative PCR<\/a><\/strong>test<\/a><\/strong> to enter the country. Travellers flying to Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh, Marsa Alam and Taba will be able to get a PCR test on arrival<\/a> for USD 30. Passengers arriving at other airports will need to take the test in their home countries no earlier than 72 hours prior to arrival. Children under the age of six are exempt.<\/p>\n

PCR tests on arrival could mitigate the risk of holiday cancellations<\/strong>. Tourists from Ukraine and Belarus have already shelved their travel plans due to the high costs of PCR tests in their home countries, where tests can cost as much as USD 150-200, said Mohamed Farouq, head of the e-tourism committee at the Egyptian Travel Agents Association, Arab News<\/a> reports.<\/p>\n

Luxor and Aswan will reopen today for tour groups <\/strong>as temples, archaeological sites, attractions and museums open their doors countrywide following a five-month closure. Polish and Belgian charters are scheduled to land as early as later today, with tourists from Japan, South Korea, and France expected throughout September, Mohamed Osman, the head of an Upper Egypt-based body that promotes cultural tourism said, according to Al Shorouk<\/a>. The expectation<\/a> is that Upper Egypt travel will pick up in December for the winter season after Nile Cruises resume in October.<\/p>\n

Speaking of back to school: Last Saturday\u2019s SAT in Egypt was cancelled<\/strong> after the College Board learned that there had been a \u201ctest security matter\u201d related to the exam scheduled for 29 August, a College Board spokesperson said in an emailed statement to InsideHigherEd<\/a>. This wasn\u2019t the first time this has happened, as the March 2019 SATs were canceled in Egypt, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia, with reports indicating<\/a> that an early copy of the exam were leaked and were being offered for sale. The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) are required examinations for students applying for undergraduate university admission and scholarships, particularly those bound for the United States.<\/p>\n

This comes after Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) cancelled its <\/strong>exams earlier this year<\/strong> due to covid-19 related concerns. The IGCSE adopted a new algorithm for determining predicted grades that significantly disadvantaged many students and had parents up in arms. You can take a more in-depth look at yesterday\u2019s edition of Blackboard<\/a> for more details.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, we\u2019re still waiting for more clarity on what shape K-12 education in Egypt will <\/strong>take this fall. <\/strong>We\u2019re expecting Education Minister Tarek Shawki to announce<\/a> more details later this week or the next.<\/p>\n

Other key news triggers coming up<\/strong> in the next two weeks:<\/p>\n