Egyptian coalition for Education Conducts a Round Table and Press Conference within GAW 2015. April 2015

Egyptians without borders, the general coordinator of the Egyptian coalition for Education, concluded its round table and press conference as part of the activities of Global Action Week for Education on 29^th of April 2015. The round table discussed the priorities of education in Egypt after 2015 which was an invitation to all of Education leaders in Aswan, strategic planning experts, a group of teachers and schools' directors and parents.

Through this round table, there was a presentation about the results of the survey of (Better Education, Egypt's dream) campaign. In 6 partners of the Egyptian coalition contributed in this campaign under the supervision of the teachers' union in Aswan. They worked on 250 random samples (100 with specialists- 100 with students- and 50 with parents)

 After discussing and presenting the distinct experiences, there were several recommendations combined with the recommendations of previous questionnaires mentioned as follows:

A.  Recommendations concerning students and parents' opinion in the education priorities of the post-2015 in Egypt:

1-   Creating an educational curricula that stops all the pedagogic methods, activates building criticizing mentalities, and allows creativity among students

2-   linking between the use of information technology and adequate rehabilitation and training for teachers and students to learn self-using these means, as well as spreading the culture of using educational technology among all parties

3-   3. The need to develop a plan to review the development of information technology programs, and activating the use of available resources, not limited to educational technology on the computer, but also using technological means in laboratories, and other devices such as data show that would be suitable for the development of curricula and teaching methods also, the need to ensure the installation of an internet line in each school.

4-   The approval for students to exercise their rights in expressing their opinion in the current curricula, suggesting ways to develop them, and giving students an opportunity to provide and create new means of education by themselves.

5-   Integrating non-classroom activities that include expeditions, field trips, and practical applications as well as raising the awareness towards the importance of family and community.

6-    Promoting the freedom of expression and active participation of students in all aspects of educational process.

7-   Removing the duplicity of education that discriminates between students and wastes energy and resources, and loses the vision. This duplicity also produces retardation in schools of both the rich and the poor.

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B.  The proposals of the specialists in the priorities of the education in Egypt in post 2015:

1.   The urgent need for restructuring and rehabilitation of the competent department of training in addition to periodical evaluation, activating the role of the professional academy, and to ensure the organizational independence and effective management, and coordination and integration between all parties

2.   2. The need to establish an advanced information data base (electronic file) for the current status of the capabilities and future needs, and the results of evaluating the impact of training and rehabilitation that have been applied

3.    Investing in education on the qualitative level. this system makes the learning and educational process capable of building personal and comprehensive components (cognitive and cultural skills)

4.    restructuring of the conditions of teachers and educational workers of the system in terms of wages and salaries that provide the minimum for a dignified life for them and for their families and raise the professional and cultural competence

5.    Launch the freedom of action of civil society organizations in  following-up and evaluating the educational system and monitoring the violations of educational rights as well as implementing civic education programs in order to develop proposals for alternatives development

6.   Managing a community dialogue about the required changes that need to be applied on the legislation, laws and regulations of the educational process. Also preparing alternative draft laws that aim at activating the international standards of the right to education.

7.   Reviewing the philosophy, objectives and content of the history course, and methods of teaching to make it  focus on the history of peoples not the history of leaders and rulers

8.   Caring about the assessment of students' behavior and activating the role of social workers and psychologists in schools.

9.   Activating the decentralization in order to enable teachers and educational leader o perform their role effectively and properly in each department.

10.       Preparing trainers to be capable of re-training at the level of each school within the framework refreshing training sessions.

11.       Establishing mechanisms to ensure activating the role of boards of trustees to include clarification of roles and powers, introducing the new members, and implementing training programs to them about the strategic goals for education, the needs of development, quality standards, the role of boards of trustees in the follow-up, support and evaluation, and link the school to the local community.

12.       Giving attention to the technical education and linking between its curriculum and the needs of the labor market