Ministry of Education and Technical Education and partners celebrate key milestones for inclusive education in Egypt Under Education 2.0

CAIRO, 5 March 2020- Inclusive and special education have been at the center of a function led today by the Ministry of Education and Technical Education (MOETE), together with its partners, including the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the British Embassy in Cairo. The function celebrated the completion of three key strategic references in the area of inclusive and special education: the Special Education Curriculum Frameworks, the Guidelines for the Adaptation and Accommodation of Learning Materials for the Children with Sensory Disabilities and the Teachers Guide on Inclusive Education, all developed on the basis of the Education 2.0. reform.

Dr. Tarek Shawki, Minister of Education and Technical education said that the ministry took significant measures to support differently abled children. These measures included training special education school teachers and inclusive school teachers in general and technical education, holding a number of national competitions and championships, and opening, for the first time in Egypt, special classrooms for children with multiple disabilities. 

Shawki also added that the Ministry has established (Ryada) center at 10th of Ramadan to rehabilitate the differently abled children. Ryada is the biggest center in the Arab world in terms of size as well as the diverse services provided which include services for children with intellectual and sensory disabilities as well as children with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The center provides assessment and diagnostic tests services and sets individualized plans and skills development programs. The center contains specialized clinics and offers behavioral modification programs, hydro and motor therapy, in addition to a residential hotel system. 

He pointed out that the most recent of these measures is the development of the new curriculum frameworks for children who are severely mentally challenged, based on Education 2.0, and the guidelines on the adaptation and accommodation of the learning materials to address the needs of children with sensory disabilities. This was done in collaboration with a number of international experts, UNICEF and Faculty of Disabilities Sciences and Rehabilitation in Zagazig University.

As part of the Education 2.0. reform process, the Center of Curriculum and Instructional Material Development of the MOETE, in collaboration with UNICEF, a team of international experts, and the School of Disabilities Sciences and Rehabilitation at Zagazig University, and with solid inputs from the Ministry’s Central Department of Special Education, has developed three references that provide knowledge and guidance for textbooks producers and education practitioners on developing and adapting both paper-based and digital learning tools to various types of mentally and physically challenged students respectively, as well as on adopting more inclusive teaching methods that enhance student’s cognitive and non-cognitive and life skills acquisition. 

These resources will act as pivotal references for education staff working in inclusive and special education schools across Egypt. They were developed thanks to the support of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) through the project “Integrated Education Services for Vulnerable and Marginalised Children in Egypt”, which provides focused assistance in selected schools in the form of improving physical environments, training school teachers and supervisors to advance the quality of education service delivery.

“We are proud that UK resources have been able to contribute to an important milestone for education reform in Egypt, and with this timely intervention, differently-abled children are being empowered to reach their full potential, and contribute to their communities,” said Sir Geoffrey Adams, the British Ambassador to Egypt.

During the event, experts from the Center of Curriculum and Instructional Material Development, the Ministry’s Central Department of Special Education and the School of Disabilities in Zagazig University were awarded appreciation certificates in recognition of the effort and technical expertise they have put over the past period to develop these important resources, which will enhance the capacity of teachers and school staff in implementing  inclusive and special education, aligned with Education 2.0.

“We will continue to advocate for Inclusive Education, on the basis that it is the right of every child regardless of their vulnerabilities to access quality education and to be better prepared for life and the future,” said Mr. Bruno Maes, UNICEF Representative in Egypt. “The more inclusive schools are, and the more the teaching can be adapted to diverse needs, the more children are benefiting, not just those with disabilities but all types of learners.”

The event was well attended by senior government officials, Academia and the civil society as well as media partners

For more information, please contact:

The Ministry of Education and Technical Education (MOETE)

Media  focal point: Mahmoud Hassouna, m.hasona43@gmail.com

Website: http://www.moe.gov.eg/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/egypt.moe

Embassy of the United Kingdom in Egypt:

Media focal point: Sara Aggour, Sara.Aggour@fco.gov.uk

Website: www.gov.uk/government/world/egypt

Twitter: @ukinegypt

Facebook: http://ww.facebook.com/UKinEgypt