Shaping the future of learning

Efforts are being stepped up to bring education in line with swiftly developing technologies. Curricular reform, new schools and stronger partnerships with those with experience and expertise are the order of the day.
To this end, Minister of Education and Technical Education Reda Hegazy attended the Global Education Forum 2023 in London last month.
The British Council organised the Partner School Conference to follow up the outcomes of the Global Education Forum.
Topics for review included empowerment of education leaders, creating positive school cultures and the impact of technology.
Elizabeth White, who is country director of the British Council in Egypt, told The Egyptian Gazette, that she welcomed the idea of linking schools with the UK.
Meanwhile, the British Council has been working with thousands of public schools in teaching English language, White said, adding that she would like to see further collaboration with the ministry in integrating students with special needs into mainline education.
On updating school curricula, White said that throughout history what is studied is influenced by the challenges facing society.
“Climate change is a very considerable topic which students want to discuss and put on the table. We definitely put that into consideration to help students discuss, analyse and seek out corrective information,” White said.
Iman Sabry, who heads the Private and International Department at the Ministry of Education, said conferences with international partners are platforms for education leaders to shape the future of learning “by exchanging ideas and exploring innovative approaches to educational leadership”.
Fakhar Jaffery, Director of Examinations at the British Council Egypt, told this paper that it is of paramount importance to collaborate, exchange ideas, and gain valuable insights into the evolving field of educational leadership.
“We are confident that the knowledge shared will have a lasting impact on the participating schools and contribute to the enhancement of education in Egypt,” Jaffery said.
Jaffery referred to quality and integrity of education, saying: “Quality is making sure that we have the right skill sets in our school leaders and in our school teachers, for who we deliver much training.”
“Integrity means there are no breaches of the system in order not to allow some students to have an unfair advantage over others. So, we maintain the integrity of the system through hundreds of standards. We maintain those standards throughout the examinations delivery system to ensure that whatever marks or whatever grades, candidates or the students are getting, they are fair and they are what they deserve, rather than any unfair results,” he said.
In a related context, international experts stressed that the future of education in Egypt holds immense potential for growth and progress thanks to the continuous advancements in technology, evolving teaching methodologies, and the increasing need for a well-rounded education.