Egypt, Italy agree to expand applied technology school project at LE 40M

CAIRO - 16 April 2020: International Cooperation Minister Rania el Mashaat and Education Minister Tareq Shawqi signed the agreement with Italian Ambassador in Cairo Giampaolo Cantini to expand a project of applied technology schools at LE 40.8 million.

The agreement comes within the framework of the third agreement of the joint debt swap deal.

The project aims to develop technical education as the Ministry of Education opened 11 applied technology schools in less than two years in collaboration with major industrial companies and educational institutions nationwide.

The International Cooperation underlined the importance of the project which is serving the Sustainable Development Goal 4 on Quality Education.

Shawqi praised the Italian side's confidence in Egypt, highlighting the key role of the project in qualifying youth to join the labor market as well as creating new jobs.

The project is meant to get 130,000 students to join the applied technology schools and train more than 3,000 teaching staff members and administrative by 2030.

The Ministry of Education and Technical Education targets to introduce 10 applied technology schools annually so that the total number of such schools becomes 100 by 2030, Deputy Minister Mohamed Megahed told press.

“Egypt will not achieve development without skilled technical experts who are qualified to serve the industrial sector,” the official said, highlighting that the ministry succeeded to attract great industrial partners to jointly train students.

Megahed stated that the curricula have been updated in accordance with international standards. The deputy minister’s statements came on the sidelines of the inauguration of a technology school in Nasr City called Ahmed Taalab for Applied Technology. He pointed out that the industrial partner gives a financial incentive to students, encouraging youth to join the ministry’s technical education system.