Egypt  - Readiness for the Networked World                             

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Networked Learning

There are so many educational issues that impact Egypt’s ability to become a viable participant in Information and Communication systems.  A key barrier is the inequity of education amongst classes and gender gaps.

According to the 2005 Egypt Human Development Report, the inequity of gender increases with poverty.  The literacy rate for the total population in 2004 was 65.7% with the female population at 56.2%.  Illiteracy is extremely high for female head of households at 85% in rural areas and 57% in non-rural areas.  These statistics have been attributed to girls not being able to complete secondary school because of the responsibility of household and chores and pure gender biases.

In addition to the challenges of poverty and gender gap issues, government expenditures on education seems to follow a similar pattern like many other countries with less spending in poorer areas.  However, there is no shortage in administrators.  There is one administrator for every three teacher, but there is a shortage of teachers estimated to be around 160,000.

Egypt’s educational system is closely tied to their present stage in the networked world.

Access to Information and Communication Technologies in School (Stage 3)

As of 2005, 66% of Egyptian schools and all of Egyptian universities have internet access.  Although internet access is available, the number of personal computers available restricts usage quality. 

The Ministry of Education (MOE) in Egypt has launched several initiatives to improve ICT in schools.  It has entered an agreement with Microsoft where computers are donated to local schools.  These computers are equipped with the latest technology for an up to date learning experience. Various projects such as Online Learning Services, Productive Schools and training and certification of the MOE IT staff are also funded by Microsoft.

Another initiative in place is “Smart School.”  This program works toward ensuring all students are computer literate after middle school.  This program was initially piloted in 50 public schools, but will be expanded countrywide to 7,500 preparatory schools over five years with special emphasis given to underprivileged areas.

Access to Information and Communication Technologies in School (Stage 3)

The Mobile Internet Unit (MIU) complements the Smart School initiative by taking computer technology to various schools.  Since Egypt is so large and not every school has a computer lab, the MIU helps engage students in acquiring computer skills.  The units travel to certain areas and have a fully functional computer lab.  These units may stay at one site for as long as two weeks to offer basic computer training and school curricula for students.

Enhancing Education with ICTs (Stage 2: Rural; Stage 3: Urban)

Because of limited available resources in rural areas, Egypt is still developing in the area of ICT use in education.  Due to the fact that many locations do not have onsite labs, it is difficult for educators to incorporate a computer based curricula.

Another important part of the equation is lack of funding.  For 2004-2005, the Ministry of Education allocated only 150 thousand for projects like upgrading equipment, development of technology based learning materials, and updating the current technology infrastructure.

At this pace, it could take Egypt at least another ten years to move its entire country to stage four in this category.  Coupled with the success of its ICT initiatives, a larger ICT budget, and corporate/private donations stage four could become reality sooner.

Developing the ICT Workforce (Stage 4)

In 1999, Egypt created the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT).  This group is responsible for establishing plans to increase Egypt’s growth and development in the ICT sector.  MCIT focus has not only been on hardware and software, but also effectively educating Egypt’s population in ICT and forming partnerships to expand its mission.   Since its inception a national ICT plan has been developed and there has been continued growth in the ICT sector.

The ICT workforce has grown from 10,000 to more than 38,000 professionals.  ICT companies are up from 266 to 1,571.  This growth has contributed to the increase of approximately 40,000 jobs.  As investment in ICT increases, this opens the door for more job opportunities and training in the ICT sector.