Teacher Excellence Initiative

Challenge

Egypt boasts the largest education system in the Middle East, with more than 23.5 million students in primary and secondary education, 1 million teachers, and 56,000 schools.¹ While net enrollment in primary education is high (92 percent),² learning outcomes are low. In 2017, the Ministry of Education and Technical Education (MOETE) introduced an ambitious reform agenda to transform Egyptian education. A central pillar of this reform is teacher professional development.

Through the USAID-funded Teacher Excellence Initiative (TEI), EDC seeks to improve the quality and relevance of teacher preparation in Egyptian public universities so that current and future primary school teachers have enhanced skills to increase student learning and advance the MOETE’s reform.

¹MOETE. 2019. Education Management Information System Statistical Summary for Pre-University Education.

²UNICEF. 2016. Children in Egypt 2016: A Statistical Digest.

Key Activities

The project is carrying out the following activities:

Collaborate to support the revision of pre-service and in-service curricula for undergraduate programs at Egyptian Faculties of Education to equip future and current teachers to apply practice-based, experiential teaching methods in the classroom
Develop the capacity of Government of Egypt personnel from the MOETE, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR), and the Supreme Council of Universities to jointly plan, manage, and adapt teacher education

Impact

7,500 pre-service teachers in undergraduate programs at five Egyptian universities participate in improved teacher education programming.
5,000 in-service teachers in postgraduate programs at 15 Egyptian universities apply learning from TEI-improved program in the classroom.
50 Government of Egypt personnel from the two education ministries and the Supreme Council of Universities demonstrate improved capacity to jointly plan, manage, and adapt teach education.