Schools in Egypt
 

Education in Egypt is divided into secular and Islamic options. Within secular education there are public, private and international schools. Islamic schools, known as Al-Azhar schools, run a curriculum similar to the standard national curriculum, but with extra emphasis on Islamic values and Quran studies.

The government has been working to improve the standard of schooling available to Egyptians. However, public schools in Egypt are still of a low standard and expat parents are unlikely to find them suitable. Luckily, there are many good international school options across the country, particularly in Cairo and Alexandria.

Public education in Egypt is structured similarly to most Western education systems. Children start kindergarten at age four, move to primary school at age six and then start high school when they are 15 years old. At this point, there is a choice between academic, vocational and technical streams.

Public education is free for all children, but it is taught in Arabic and will probably not be up to the standards expats desire for their children. Therefore, most expat families opt for private or international schools instead.

There are a few different types of private schools in Egypt.

“Ordinary” private schools follow the national curriculum, like public schools. Since they’re funded by fees, these schools tend to have better facilities and better trained teachers. Children will typically get a superior education at these schools than at public schools.

Private language schools teach the national curriculum in a foreign language, usually English, and add a second language such as German or French in early primary school. These schools can be expensive, but generally less so than international schools, and children stand to learn a second language and get a good education.

There are also private schools whose teaching is based on a religion, such as Catholicism, or a particular educational philosophy, such as Montessori.

International schools are private institutions that teach the curriculum of a foreign country. Teaching is either in English or the language of the school’s country of origin. Sometimes there are also bilingual options.

Most international schools teach British, American or International Baccalaureate (IB) curricula, but there are also French and German schools available. Although international schools in Egypt are expensive, they give children the advantage of being taught a Western curriculum in English or, in some cases, their mother tongue.