Description of the educational system in Egypt

The intent of this chapter is to give the reader a oecumenic position of the context in which the survey is conducted. The chapter will travel, from tellurian to specific, by giving a general description of the educational corpse in Egypt runing from its doctrine, structuring and finance to curriculum planning, design and development. Emphasis will be inclined to side lingual converse culture its purposes, and manner of development. A farther point more or less proud learnedness current state of topics and bailiwick renew is highlighted. Finally, EFL teacher growing chopineme, the function of CDELT in accomplishing national ends atomic number 18 brought into focal point for its importance to the whole intent of the probe.2.1 Country profileThe Arab Re tenders of Egypt lies in the north eastern portion of Africa and Sinai Peninsula in the western portion of Asia. It is about sensation million squ atomic number 18 kilometers in size. The population of Egypt was est imated in 2008 as 75,175,062 harmonizing to the rally Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics in Egypt. ( Said & A Mourad, 2008 ) .2.2 The nature and doctrine of dictation in EgyptEgypt s instruction system is the largest in the Mena dissolve and among the largest systems in the universe. As of 1999-2000, the system reported an registration of about 16 million, of which 7 million are in primary instruction, 4 million in preparative instruction, 3 million in secondary instruction, and over 1.8 million in third instruction. The system besides employs the largest figure of civil retainers in Egypt about 3.8 million employees ( The creation Bank, 2007 ) .Some negative features of the Egyptian educational system include what Hargreaves ( 1997 ) termed a additive consolidative merger instructors with low scores both in the cognition of the capable affair and in teaching method a mismatch between course of studies and curricula drawn at the cardinal national degree and the existent instruction larning state of affairs ritualisation, and mechanistic acquisition and larn methods. Other negative characteristics include examination-driven direction, politicisation, bureaucratism that hinders the accomplishment of indispensable marks shtup schooling, limited resources, centralization, and mal-distribution of educational services amongst the province parts ( Jarrar & A Massialas, 1992 ) .Many of the defects of the educational system, and so its failure to convey about impelling long-run reform, score been due to its being extremely centralised, in malice of efforts at decentralization. The system is really hierarchal, with the Ministry of Higher information ( MOE ) at the top of the pyramid. The system is based on senior status instead than virtue. Due to its extremely centralised and bureaucratic nature, the educational system defines and predetermines what is to be taught, how it is to be taught, the functions of instructors and scholars, every bit good as the intended results of the educational procedure. Given this character, the Egyptian educational system is about imperviable to influences and enterprises from instructors, parents and scholars ( Gahin, 2001 ) .Egyptian instruction has been portrayed. harmonizing to ( Hargreaves, 1997 ) as undemocratic , teacher-centred , autocratic and extremely agonistical . Students grea examination concern is to hive away and keep information so that when it is needed, they pour it out in the test which is held to prove their grounds of larning. Their exam tonss are the exclusive standards for learners success.2.3 Higher Education System in EgyptEgypt has a really extended higher(prenominal) instruction system. About 30 % of all Egyptians in the applicable age group go to university. However, plainly half of them alumnus. The Ministry of Higher Education supervises the third degree of instruction. There are a figure of universities providing to pupils in various(a) Fiel dss. In the current instruction system, there are 17 open universities, 51 public non-university establishments, 16 private universities and 89 private higher establishments. The higher instruction cohort is expected to increase by close to 6 per centum ( 60,000 ) pupils per annum through 2009. ( Higher Education in Egypt Reappraisals of National Policies for Education, 2010 )In 1990, a command law was passed to supply greater liberty to the universities. But still the instruction substructure, equipment and human resources are non in topographic point to provide to the lifting higher instruction pupils. But at that place has non been a comparable addition in passing on bettering the higher instruction system in footings of debut of cutting plans and engineerings. Both at national degree ( inspection systems, scrutinies ) and at local degree ( school degree pupil appraisals ) steps of the success of instruction schemes and the public presentation of the system are weak. ( Ginsbu rb & A Megahed, 2009 )Although higher instruction was founded much earlier in Egypt before it appeared in Europe ( Metcalfe, 2008 ) , The Government of Egypt rejazzs that there are still existent challenges to be faced in the sector, fore nigh amongst which are the demand to signifi terminatetly better sector administration and efficiency, increase institutional liberty, significantly better the quality and relevancy of higher instruction plans, and maintain coverage at bing degrees. Recent Government actions to construct political consensus on issues critical to reform postponement created a clime that is mature for alteration.The Ministry of Higher Education ( MOHE ) acts as a title-holder for reform. The Minister, appointed in 1997, rapidly naturalised a complaint for the reform of higher instruction k presentlyn as the Higher Education Enhancement course of instruction ( HEEP ) Committee which drew in a broad electron orbit of stakeholders including industrialists and Par liamentarians. A National Conference on higher instruction reform was held in February 2000, and a Declaration for action emanating from the Conference was endorsed by the President and the extremum Minister. The Declaration identified 25 specific reform enterprises.Due to the dynamic nature of the reform scheme, which entails reconsidering precedences for each period, a Strategic Planning Unit ( SPU ) was established for the MOHE to guarantee the sustainability of planning and undertaking monitoring during the three stages and for future 1s. A Students Activity Project ( SAP ) was besides initiated as portion of plan accreditation akin to scientific research and station alumnus surveies.2.3.1 Egyptian universitiesUniversities in Egypt are by and large either state-funded or in private funded. Education in Egypt is free by jurisprudence, nevertheless there are really little fees paid for registration. Public establishments, with few exclusions are by and large overcrowded with a pupil organic fertilizer structure of several 1000s. Private universities are either Egyptian or foreign, and normally have a much smaller pupil organic structure and with a much higher tuition rates.2.3.1.1 Public UniversitiesPublic universities are under authorities disposal. Public Higher instruction is free in Egypt, and Egyptian pupils merely pay enrollment fees. International pupils pay full tuition with fees that reach up to ? 1,500 a twelvemonth.In 2004, the Egyptian authorities announced its program to make new public universities from dividing multi-branch universities ( Cairo University, Menoufia HYPERLINK hypertext transfer protocol //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanta_University University ) . This should let the enlargement of these much neglected smaller rural subdivisions and supply infinite for the increase figure of pupils. There is besides al Azhar University, considered the best university for the survey of faith and scientific discipline.2.3.1.2 Private Universities Before 1993, merely 2 private foreign establishments were established decennaries ago. The American University in Cairo, founded in 1919 and the Arab Academy for Science and Technology ( AAST ) . Under a new jurisprudence in 1993, Egyptian private universities were established get toss off from 1996. These new universities are accredited from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Universities every 3 old ages, in add-on to accreditation from foreign educational organic structures in Europe. ( Herrera, 2007 )2.3.2 AdmissionAdmission to public universities and establishments operates through a centralised office, Admission Office of Egyptian Universities. This office receives coatings after the consequences from the General Secondary Education Certificate are announced in any of its offices or online. The application day of the months are announced every twelvemonth but normally take topographic point every August.The application is both discipline-based and university-based. Students are asked to make full the admittances application that naming their picks of their coveted subject and university in a descending order of precedence. Students with higher tonss have a better opportunity of procuring a topographic point for themselves in their school of pick. While lower-scoring pupil may acquire stuck in a school or train different from that they desired, which might take them to seek admittance in private universities where competition for topographic points is less ferocious.Admission to private universities is different and is similar to universe broad registration processs.2.3.3 Course of studyIn universities, general or private, course of study are left to lectors and professors to make up ones mind the doctrine, guidelines, and even stuffs that they appreciate pupils should larn.By and large talking, the course of study is centralised plenty to incarnate political and classless rules presented in free instruction and guaranting that all students have admiss ion fee to the same course of instruction of survey. It aims to raise criterions, guarantee that all pupils attain the aims at each degree, and to make the conditions for increased school and instructor answerability.2.4 English linguistic communication instruction in EgyptEnglish has long been given a particular position in Egypt, whether a necessary immorality during the British business or a practical vehicle for educational, economic anda societal mobility ( Schaub, 2000, p. 235 ) . the chief aims set for ELT are to develop the ability to utilize English for communicating to further favorable attitudes towards larning in general and towards appropriate foreign civilizations in peculiar to develop an mind of the nature of linguistic communication and linguistic communication acquisition and hence, achieve cross-cultural consciousness to assist pupils womb-to-tomb acquisition every bit good as develop self-independence and to advance collaborative as a measure towards i mparting up citizens who appreciate teamwork ( Schaub, 2000 ) .These are what is stated as the theoretical purposes of instruction. However, As far as the EFL schoolroom is concerned, it is non different from any other school topic, since it is a portion of the whole system. The state of affairs might conceivably be worse, due to the particular nature of the English linguistic communication learning in Egypt. The dominant form in the bulk of schoolrooms is that of an active instructors and inactive scholars. The instructor is the exclusive authorization to make up ones mind what and haw in the instruction and acquisition procedure, based on the cognition spelled out by the stakeholders.In footings of quality, the instruction and acquisition of EFL is characterised by instructors low proficiency in the mark linguistic communication. Teachers chief involvement and purpose is to acquire their pupils to go through their tests. Students Markss in such tests are the grounds of inst ructors success along with their governments in accomplishing the purposes of the MOE. That is wherefore it is non impress to happen a parallel system of instruction called private tuition taking at enabling pupils to go through the test and acquire high Markss. This private and Markss oriented tuition has long been fought by the authorities, which tries difficult to take serious and terrible steps against it. However, these attempts have been in vain up to now. Besides, a big per centum of primary and preparative school instructors are non-specialists ( 41 % ) ( Ibrahim, 2008 ) . In add-on, evaluation techniques do non get by with the development in acquisition and learning methodological analysis techniques, and are rather far from the existent appraisal of pupils public presentation.2.5 Teacher preparation Reform ProgrammeEgypt has no deficit of instructors, so if anything Egypt has a excess of instructors, with some of 800,000 instructors presently believed to be in the s tate. ( Abdel-WAHAB, January 2008 )( Crookes, 2003 ) concludes that autochthonal Egyptian instructors, though non needfully utilizing activities or schoolroom interaction forms thought most desirable by Second Language Acquistion theoreticians, likely acquire better than foreign teachers but that the big category contexts that were new to the Egyptian instruction system ( through non unusual around the universe ) were a challenge met by the visitants. However the techniques used by visitants to pull off theses challenges, Holliday suggests, would be improbable to hold positive long-run effects because they did non construct on autochthonal forms and penchants.( Holliday, 1996 ) concludes that merely a new, rationalized-yet traditional- attack, could be to the full effectual in thea.culture of Egyptian university big classesa.. Exceptions apart, merely local lectors would be able to the full to accomplish this, because it would necessitate a rationalized edifice and re-allocation of thoughts and resources on an bing traditional footing ( p.100 )Well aware of the challenges, the authorities is now looking for new ways of making things and has emarked on a big graduated table reform programme of public instruction to give superstar instituttions greater liberty and engagement to the private sector to assist increase capacity and better criterions.( The Report Egypt 2009, 2009 ) The major accomplishments of the Higher Education Enhancement Programme ( HEEP ) have been compound into the national Education strategic program for the period 2008-2012, which aims to deconcentrate the national the national school construction, present school-based reform and better human resources through professional development programmes. The increased accent on instructor preparation within the model of the National Education Strategic Plan is considered one of the most of import facets of the reform programme.2.6 EFL prospective instructors preparation programme at Menoufia U niversitySince the focal point in this survey is centred on prospective EFL instructors perceptual experiences of microteaching, it will be utile to supply an overview of Menoufia university, Faculty of instruction and their provision programme in the school of instruction.2.6.1 Menoufia University Historical lynchpingroundAn Egyptian Public University founded in 1976, is located in the main in Shibin EL Kom, a metropolis in Delta and the capital of the Monufia Governorate. There is besides a subdivision in 1 Sadat City, founded in 2006. It contains modules of Education, Agriculture, Arts, Computers and Information, Commerce, Law, and Medicine. Both undergrad and post-graduate instruction is offered.2.6.2 Menoufia university mission, general intents and strategic aimsMenoufia university s mission is lending to construct the schoolman and moral construction of people, and developing both the local and national societies by supplying the specialised cognition and accomplishment s peculiarly those that are related to the rural and new industrial communities through high quality educational, research, and social services that can assist the university to accomplish a competitory advantage at the national, regional, and international degrees. The general intents of the University represent the cardinal indexs of success of the achievement of the University s mission. Seven general intents are identified for Menoufiya University. Each of the old general intents has a figure of strategic aims that reflect them. ( see appendix 1 )2.6.3 Faculty of Education, Menoufia UniversityThe module of Education was foremost established in 1971, affiliated to Ain Shams University. In 1975, it became attached to Tanta University. The module so became attached to Minoufiya University at its initiation in 1976. It contains sections of Educational Psychology. Curricula and precept Methods, and Education Fundamentals. Its Bachelors grades are offered in combination with one of th e sections in the module of Humanistic disciplines or the Faculty of Science.2.6.4 school of Education English section readying classsTheoretically, EFL instructors is prepared in the module of instruction through two complementary sets of classs. The first set of classs is chiefly linguistic communication proficiency classs ( capable affair cognition like English literature, interlingual rendition, grammar, phonetics, and linguistics ) , and the 2nd set is pedagogical classs ( the instruction proficiency ) , including classs like foundations of instruction comparative instruction educational mental science along with the learning practicum that aims to fix pupil instructors for the prospective occupation. The practicum is jointly carried out and supervised by the MOE inspectors and instructors along with the staff of modules of instruction.Bettering Pre service teacher developing programmesThe national board for professional instruction criterions ( NBPTS ) identified five fea tures of high-quality instructorTeachers are committed to pupils and their acquisition.Teachers know the topic they teach and how to learn those topics to pupils.Teachers are answerable for pull offing and administer pupil acquisition.Teachers think consistently about their pattern and learn from experience.Teachers are members of larning communities.Demand for teacher readying plans at establishments of higher instruction and through a go oning procedure of development and research, the centre for the development of English Language Teaching ( CDELT ) supported by the Integrated English Language Program ( IELP- II ) have integrated information about instructional rules to develop Egyptian criterions for instructors graduating from pre-service English instructor instruction plans ( STEP ) . through with(predicate) the professional instruction plan, campaigners are expected to run into the criterions at progressively complex degrees. Campaigners are assessed at each degree to show public presentation. The subjects of construction cognition, developing pattern, and furthering relationships provide the foundation for each of the criterions. These criterions, which are grouped into five chief spheres schoolroom direction, linguistic communication, direction, appraisal, and professionalism, organize the anchor of our instructor instruction plans.The step undertaking is a countrywide enterprise under the protections of the Center for the Development of English Language Teaching ( CDELT ) in coaction with the Program Planning and observe Unit ( PPMU ) . It is sponsored by the Integrated English Language Project II ( IELP-II ) . Its purpose is to put criterions for instructors of English at pre-service degree. The STEPS undertaking force consists of representatives from 12 Faculties of Education from nine universities and from the Ministry of Education of the Arab Republic of Egypt. The Task Force has drafted a set of criterions in five spheres depicting what fre shly qualified instructors from our Faculties of Education should cognize and be able to make.The Role of CDELT to better Clinical supervising during PracticumHarmonizing to ( Bowers & A Gaies, 1997 ) , Five rules underline the clinical supervivsion of CDELT classs. These areThere should be a remainder between. theory and pattern, between the educational and the preparation maps.The feasibleness of proposals for alteration in instructor public presentation should be judged against the existent restraints of the learning context.The personal feeling indispensable to effectual counciling and preparation is best developed within the security of a system or paradigm of counselor-teacher interaction.Observation should be systematic and focused, with rating based on grounds available to the instructor.Reding should steer the instructor toward specific, mensurable, and moderate alterations in behaviour.Examination of theses rules offers an indicant of the scheme of the CDELT attack to supervisor readying. The CDELT offers a full-time class of 24 hebdomads. It includes 20 hebdomad class work in four blocks of 5 hebdomads each, and one 4-week block of practical experience, in the center of five blocks. During the first two blocks, along with classs related to linguistic communication betterment, there are talks and seminars in debut to linguistics, theories of English linguistic communication instruction, and learning methods. Theses satisfy the demand to set up perceptual experiences of what linguistic communication is, what instruction is, and alternate attacks to the instruction of English.Over the diploma class as a whole, we aim to integrate into supervisor readying the five indispensable purposes of instructor instruction identified by, which among them guarantee theoretical grasp and practical application principle, experience, observation, test and integrating.2.7 DecisionThe purpose of this chapter has been to supply the layout of the Egyptian education al system so as to give the reader an overview about the context in which this survey is connected, clarifying why this survey is of import for Egyptian instruction in general and linguistic communication instruction in Egypt in peculiar. Furthermore, the chapter reveals the alterations and fortunes that have been underway for about two decennaries now. These alterations are represented by proposing and planing new attacks, rules and weaponries for the general instruction, and in peculiar, for EFL acquisition and instruction.The undermentioned chapter is chiefly devoted to reexamining the literature related to EFl instructor readying programme and the function of microteaching in bettering their instruction public presentation.Abdel-WAHAB, A. ( January 2008 ) . Modeling Students Purpose to Adopt E-learning A Case From Egypt. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education-TOJDE, 9, 157-167.Arbors, R. , & A Gaies, S. ( Eds. ) . ( 1997 ) . Clinical supervising of linguistic communicati on instruction the supervising as trainer and pedagogue Cambridge university imperativeness.Crookes, G. ( Ed. ) . ( 2003 ) . A practicum in TESOL Professional Development through Teaching Practice Cambridge University Press.Ginsburb, M. , & A Megahed, N. ( Eds. ) . ( 2009 ) . Comparative Positions on Teachers, Teaching and Professionalism Springer.Hargreaves, E. ( 1997 ) . The sheepskin disease in Egypt Learning, instruction and the monster of the secondary departure certification. . Appraisal in Education, 4, 161-167.Herrera, L. ( Ed. ) . ( 2007 ) . Higher Education in the Arab World Springer.Higher Education in Egypt Reappraisals of National Policies for Education. ( 2010 ) . ) .Holliday, A. ( Ed. ) . ( 1996 ) . Large-and small-class civilizations in Egyptian university schoolrooms a cultural justification for course of study alteration. Cambrigde University imperativeness.Ibrahim, H. ( 2008 ) . The strategic reading procedures of Egyptian EFL scholars. Exeter University.Metcalf e, A. ( Ed. ) . ( 2008 ) . Speculating search Policy A Model for Higher Education Springer.The Report Egypt 2009. ( 2009 ) . ) Oxford concern group.Said, M. , & A Mourad, M. ( Eds. ) . ( 2008 ) . Egypt. Baston Baston College Center for International Higher Education.Schaub, M. ( 2000 ) . English in the Arab Republic of Egypt. World Englishes, 19 ( 2 ) , 225-238.Appendix 1 Menoufia University mission, purposes and Strategic AimsPurposeStrategic aims1A alumnus who is compatible with the modern-day challengesBettering the quality of the educational procedure harmonizing to the both the local and international criterions.Associating theA educationA withA theA issuesA of bothA societyA andA localA environment. stiff jumper lead of pupils.Bettering the wellness and societal attention of the pupils.Increasing the competitory capablenesss of the alumnuss in the labour market.2An first-class staff member.Accurate choice of the instruction and back uping staff members.Sustainability of th e integrated development of the instruction and back uping staff members.Effective motive of the instruction and back uping staff members.Continuous public presentation assessment of the instruction and back uping staff members.Advanced systems for advancing the instruction and supportingA staff members.3Advanced academic research to be oriented by the intents of the national comprehensive development programs.Constructing an advanced academic base for the scientific research.Associating the scientific research with the issues of the comprehensive development programs at the national degree.4Promoting values and ideal rules.Developing and intensifying the belongingness to Egypt.Constructing the positive personality.Guaranting the values and committedness.Guaranting and esteeming the university s values and traditions.5Civilized society and developing environment.Directing and utilizing the scientific research to function the development demands of the environment.Freedom of sentimen t and protection of rational belongings.Bettering the quality of life.Developing consciousness of the cultural heritage.Developing the sense of beauty and encouraging creativeness.Developing the environmental consciousness.Promoting the behaviours that are compatible with the society development.6Distinguished position of the University in the development procedure of the instruction system.Distinguishing the university from others al both the local and international degrees.Bettering the society s trust and convection of the university s roleA and accomplishments.Triping the university s parts in the local and internationalA academic motion.More effectual function of the university in the current development systems of the higher instruction and scientific research.7Effective administrative system.Bettering the organisation of the university s councils and commissions.Bettering the university s organisational and occupation constructions.Computerizing both the administrative and f inancial systems.Bettering the forming facets of the university s fiscal and private concern units.Bettering the choice procedure of the non-academic leaders and the administrative staff.Continuous development of abilities and accomplishments of administrative staff.Effective motive of the administrative staff.Effective public presentation assessment and controlling of the administrative system.