For technical education to bear fruit

In 2018, the Ministry of Education initiated a strategy to develop technical education, the quality of which had been deteriorating for decades.

The strategy was basically concerned with upgrading courses; introducing new specialisation and skills, which would enable graduates of these schools to meet job market requirements; and providing teachers with adequate training so that they would help fulfil set targets.

The ministry’s co-operation with the private sector in this respect had been one of the prominent features of the new strategy. The ministry has entered into partnership with private companies to establish applied technology schools, which provide state-of –the art technical education, allowing students training opportunities at production sites of these companies. The plan was to set up a total of 100 such schools by 2030.

The strategy was in line with dictates of ambitious development plans, which the state is carrying out at all levels. The development of the educational system at large was, therefore, a priority for the government.

The ministry is following two parallel lines to upgrade both: general and poly-technical education. It is working according to a totally new vision in terms of mechanism and purpose of the educational process.

The ministry has already taken strides to improve the quality of technical education especially in light of presidential directives to resort to the private sector to take advantage of its facilities and potential.

It must be said, however, that the ministry’s efforts to attract students to this kind of education is being obstructed by a social aspect, exclusive to the Egyptian society.

According to a prevailing social concept, technical education is regarded as inferior to general education. This might have had to do with the admission system at these schools, which accept pupils with the least scores. So, many of these pupils are aware that technical schools are a kind of punishment for their failure to join general education schools. And by association, graduates of technical schools and institutes are looked down upon in society as less socially prestigious than university graduates.

It might take society some time to change this view until graduates of these developed schools prove themselves in the job market and get well-paid jobs. Only when technical school graduates fulfill requirements of investment projects and development plans and become in high demand will society put the record straight.

This social concept might not be in the core of the ministry’s plans, but it should not be overlooked because social status defines choices of many people.

Now with hundreds of thousands of Thanawiya Amma (General Secondary School Certificate) students waiting for the results of the final year exams, how many of them will be willing, out of their own will, to join higher technical institutes?

The Ministry of Education should think of introducing various kinds of technical training to pupils of general schools to help them find an interest in technical education.