Egypt and Japan are expanding their education partnership by extending the Tokkatsu model to seven Egyptian universities, alongside new co-operation agreements and initiatives aimed at developing students’ skills, strengthening teacher training and advancing technology-based education.
The expansion was announced at a ceremony attended by Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Abdelaziz Konsowa, Minister of Education and Technical Education Mohamed Abdel Latif, Minister of Social Solidarity Maya Morsy, Japanese Ambassador to Egypt Fumio Iwai and Ebisawa Yu, head of the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) office in Egypt.
Konsowa said the partnership reflects a shared belief that investing in people, human capital and infrastructure is essential to achieving sustainable development and building a better future.
He noted that decades of Egyptian-Japanese co-operation had produced a number of successful education models. The current phase, he said, seeks to broaden and deepen the partnership by improving education quality and strengthening the skills of students and graduates.
Konsowa also described the graduation of the first 54 students from the Tokkatsu diploma as an important milestone in the development of Egypt’s education system through Egyptian-Japanese co-operation.
Abdel Latif said the partnership has become an important component of Egypt’s education reform programme.
Addressing the Tokkatsu graduates, he said graduation marked the beginning of a new responsibility, urging them to transfer the knowledge and experience they had gained to classrooms, schools and other educational institutions.
He said the signing of the second phase of co-operation with Fukui University represented a move from successful implementation to wider expansion. The agreement will help extend Japanese educational expertise to more Egyptian universities, train additional education professionals and create a broader national impact.
Social Solidarity Minister Maya Morsy praised Japan’s pioneering education approach, particularly its emphasis on developing students’ behaviour, values and practical skills alongside academic learning.
She highlighted continued co-operation between her ministry and JICA, describing it as a successful model that has evolved from exchanging expertise to developing practical systems. She also stressed that investment in early childhood development represents a long-term investment in human capital.
Morsy said the Takaful and Karama programme links part of its conditional cash support to regular school attendance by children from beneficiary families, helping reduce dropout rates, keep children in education and ease the financial burden on families.
In co-operation with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Central Bank of Egypt, the ministry has also launched the Future Scientists scholarship programme for high-achieving secondary-school graduates from Takaful and Karama beneficiary families.
The programme seeks to develop human capital, promote social justice and equal opportunities, and help build a highly qualified pool of scientific talent.
Japanese Ambassador Fumio Iwai reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to its close education partnership with Egypt, saying the expansion of the Japanese education model reflects the two countries’ shared focus on developing people and their capabilities.
He highlighted the model’s emphasis on independence, co-operation and life skills, and expressed pride in the Egyptian government’s efforts under President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to expand Japanese-style education and strengthen teacher-training programmes.
