towards universal literacy in egypt
DESCRIPTION
Towards universal literacy in Egypt. Khaled Kadah Alex Miller. Geoffrey Daniels David Ifkovits. Policy Proposals. Policy 1: Literacy Promotion in Rural Communities Policy 2: Restructuring Egypt’s Educational Model Policy 3: Advanced models of literacy promotion. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
TOWARDS UNIVERSAL LITERACY IN EGYPT
Khaled KadahAlex Miller
Geoffrey DanielsDavid Ifkovits
Policy Proposals
• Policy 1: Literacy Promotion in Rural Communities
• Policy 2: Restructuring Egypt’s Educational Model
• Policy 3: Advanced models of literacy promotion
Political and Economic Background
• Population: 82 Million• GDP: $519 Billion• Emerging service sector• Rate of unemployment: 12%• Population below poverty line: 20%• Newly installed democratic regime
Literacy in Egypt
• Literacy Rate: 72% (UNESCO)
• 169th least literate country
• 7th largest contributor to world adult illiteracy
Proposal 1: Rural Development
• Official UNESCO rate is 72%– However, significant rural/urban gap
• Rural areas illiteracy rate: 36.6% of total rate
• Urban areas illiteracy rate: 20% of total rate
• Literacy necessary to develop human capital
Policy measures
• Mobilize local community – i.e. village councils,
mosques, universities, etc.
– Higher visibility– Increased attendance– Legitimizes program– Cost-effective
Policy measures
• Capitalize on the resource of local university students– Cost-effective– Familiar with the local
community– Incentivized by college
credit
Policy measures
• Adapt a flexible, regionalized approach– Specialized
curriculum • i.e. family planning,
digital literacy– Increases relevance – Reduces fall back into
illiteracy
Proposal 2:Inclusiveness of the education system
Wealth Gap
Issues• Egypt: 26• Libya: 17
• 3.7% of private household expenditure on education
• Adverse impact on low-income households
• 49% of personnel is non-teaching
Student/Teacher ratio
Private tutoring
Drop-out rateStaff structure
Policy measures
Short run:• Increase share of teaching personnel• Vouchers for private tuition
Long run:• Cap number of students per classroom• Tutoring within public schools• Drop-out: Financial support for low-income families,
sanction withdrawal
Proposal 3:Mobile Classrooms
• Compensates for literacy disparities between urban and rural areas
• Can span throughout rural areas
• Extremely cost-effective
Digital Literacy
• Broadens and emboldens literacy in modern day
• Pioneer Egypt in digital literacy throughout Middle East
• Investment in better skilled workforce
Thank you for your attention.