A CRITICAL PATH TO GENDER EQUALITY,
WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT AND
DEVELOPMENT
Dr. Mohesen Abbas
Ministry of Education
Egypt
A Symposium
2-3 October, 2007
World Bank
Washington D.C. , USA
From Access to Quality
Quality-Based Education Reform
Initiatives & their Influence on
Gender Issues in Egypt
• Education is considered the greatest national
project in Egypt and is on the top of national
priorities. The education strategy prepared by
the Ministry of Education (MOE) in 2007 has
emphasized that education is a right for all, in
addition to making the achievement of this goal
a collaborative, and collective responsibility of all
the society institutions in a frame of a
decentralized educational system in order to
promote quality education and create the culture
of community participation.
Education as a ‘Public Good’
To educate all children and so reap the
benefits for the country as a whole,
government has to lead – to make
education (primary and secondary)
effectively mandatory, cut its costs to
families, and – critically – improve its
quality. Private schools can help, but no
country has developed without
educating its people through a strong
public education system.
The problem
When education costs too much and when
good quality education is hard to come by,
parents, especially those in poverty, may
feel that the future returns may not justify
the present costs.
What Works
• Make education more affordable for
families and students;
• Make education a practical option;
• Make schools more girls-friendly; and
• Improve education quality.
Quality
It is the key feature in the drive for
Education for All, but is far more
difficult to measure than access.
Targets of Educational Reform
Initiatives in Egypt
• Eliminate school shifts;
• Reduce class density;
• Solve low enrollment ratio & dropout
problems in deprived areas;
• Move from access to quality nationwide;
• Provide more access for girls to school;
Targets of Interventions in Egypt
(cont’d)
• Expand & deepen the scope of community
participation;
• Apply MoE Education Standards; (as a measure
of quality of education);
• Achieve capacity building of MoE at all levels &
offer professional development; and
• Maximize students’ learning.
Table (1) Gender equality at the primary stage (2006 -2007)
Total
Male %
Female %
Governmental
8160236
51.7%
48.3%
Private
722561
51.8%
48.2%
Urban
3600891
51.5%
48.5%
Rural
5281906
51.9%
48.1%
Total
8882797
51.7%
48.3%
Item
Cont’d
Table (2) Gender equality at the preparatory stage (2006 -2007)
Total
Male %
Female %
Governmental
2740589
51.8%
48.2%
Private
137453
53.6%
46.4%
Urban
1223076
25%
48%
Rural
1654966
51.7%
48.3%
Total
2878042
51.9%
48.1%
Statement
Cont’d
Table (3) Development in the numbers of students enrollment in
2001-2007
(pre-school, primary and preparatory)
2000/2001
Item
2006/2007
Male
Female
Total
Male
Female
Total
Pre-school
education
199480
184136
383616
305524
274003
579527
Primary
education
3835956
2389033
7224989
4595349
4285161
8880510
Preparatory
education
234666
2081278
4427944
1490432
1384112
2874544
Cont’d
Table (4) Gender equality at the general secondary stage (2006 -2007)
Total
Male %
Female %
Governmental
1081984
47.5%
52.5%
Private
91827
51.3%
48.7%
Urban
834664
47.3%
52.7%
Rural
339147
49.1%
50.9%
Total
1173811
47.8%
52.2%
Statement
Cont’d
Table (5) Gender equality in technical, industrial education (2006 -2007)
Total
Male %
Female %
Governmental
907598
61.4%
38.6%
Private
2785
52.4%
47.6%
Urban
752271
62.5%
37.5%
Rural
158112
56%
44%
Total
910383
61.4%
38.6%
Statement
Cont’d
Table (6) Gender equality in technical, agricultural education (2006 -2007)
Total
Male %
Female %
Governmental
185499
75.7%
24.3%
Private
-
-
-
Urban
143360
73.8%
26.2%
Rural
42139
82.5%
17.5%
Total
185499
75.7%
24.3%
Statement
Cont’d
Table (7) Gender equality in technical, commercial education (2006 -2007)
Total
Male %
Female %
Governmental
584233
32.4%
67.6%
Private
113494
41%
59%
Urban
498543
30%
70%
Rural
199184
42%
58%
Total
697727
33.8%
66.2%
Statement