Egypt to establish 1,000 schools to reduce class sizes

CAIRO – 20 August 2018: Minister of Finance Mohamed Moeit said that the government will work on completing procedures required to establish a project aiming to establish 1,000 language schools, following the Eid al-Adha ends on August 24.

The ministers of finance, education and higher education are coordinating to complete bidding procedures required to establish the major projects with total investments worth up to LE 5 billion ($279.06 million).

Within the framework of the government’s keenness to carry out major projects according to the public-private partnership (PPP) strategy, the state looks forward to executing such a major project over the course of three phases.

The first level will include funding, designing, and preparing 54 schools under efforts exerted by the Education Ministry to reduce the number of students per classroom in some schools, and allow all Egyptians an equal chance to access high-quality education.

Atter Hannoura, director of the PPP Central Unit, said that the first level will be executed with a contract period of up to 30 years. He added that the ministry will sign contracts with five contractors next month to carry out the project.

Hannoura said that the second level will include 200 schools, adding that the completion of the feasibility study at this level will enable the government to invite companies and coalitions willing to participate at this project’s level during the first quarter of 2019.

The PPP Central Unit director said that a new educational building affiliated with the Faculty of Commerce at Ain Shams University is set to be established in Obour city, Qalyubia governorate on a total area of 13,300 square meters.

The building will receive the growing number of students and researchers, according to Hannoura, and will help improve the services introduced by the faculty. It will also enable students to obtain certificates, including the Master of Business Administration (MBA). Hannoura said that the contract period for this project ranges between 12 and 15 years.