USAID/Egypt Information/Press : 26 June 2003 - USAID, Egypt Launch "I.T. in Schools"

Press Releases

Major initiative for computers in education will receive $10 million from U.S. , reach 23,000 students in pilot program

> Fact Sheet

Cairo, Egypt – U.S. and Egyptian leaders have launched a major effort to bring information technology (IT) into Egypt’s schools, using modern instructional methods to teach 21st century skills to Egypt’s future workforce.

The “I.T in Schools” project will work directly with 14 schools in seven governorates over the coming three years, installing 7,700 computers and power supplies as well as connecting them with local networks and the Internet. At the same time, the project will create a mode that can be replicated in many more schools throughout Egypt in the future, including an online version of the Egyptian national curriculum.

The project will reach 23,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade and their 2,100 educators and administrators. The United States is providing $10 million in equipment and technical assistance through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID/Egypt).

U.S., Egyptian officials join at IT in Schools launch, Cairo Conrad, June 25, 2003

Egyptian Minister of Education Dr. Hussein Kamel Bahaa El Din announced the public launch of the project during a June 25 ceremony in Cairo marking the completion of training for a group of school administrators. Joining him were the governors of the governorates where the pilot schools are located: Dr. Abdel Rehim Shehata (Cairo), Counselor Mahmoud Aboul Leil Rashed (Giza), General Mohamed Abdel Salam Al-Mahgoub (Alexandria); General Ahmed Said Sawan (Daqahliyya); General Ahmed Hammam Attia (Assiut), General Adel Ali Labib (Qena), and General Fouad Saad El-Din (Ismailia). USAID/Egypt officials gave thanks for the support of Bahaa El Din, Minister of Information and Communications Technology Dr. Ahmed Nazif, and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr. Fayza Abou El Naga.

“To the principals of the pilot schools, thank you for your bold leadership for embarking on a journey that will challenge you and your teachers to create more effective learning environments through the use of information technology,” said Andrea Yates, director of USAID/Egypt education programs. “The project will provide a viable model for adoption by other schools that wish to create a new generation of computer-literate students and staff.”

The United States has invested $765 million in improving education and training opportunities in Egypt since 1975. To view a fact sheet with details of the IT in Schools project, click here.

This document was last updated on Wednesday, December 14, 2005