By Manal El Warraky
The German Foreign Ministry, represented by Ambassador Ralf Beste, Assistant German Foreign Minister for Cultural Affairs and Education Abroad, announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Minister of Education, Reda Hegazy, in the presence of the Minister of International Cooperation, Rania Al-Mashat, and the German Ambassador to Cairo, Frank Hartmann, to establish up to 100 Egyptian schools – German.
On the sidelines of his visit to Cairo to sign the agreement, which was described as being a milestone in the history of Egyptian-German cooperation, we met with Ambassador Ralf Beste, Assistant German Foreign Minister for Cultural Affairs and Education Abroad, and Director of the Culture and Society Department at the German Foreign Ministry, during a press meeting held at the German Foreign Ministry’s headquarters. The German Embassy in Cairo, and the text of the dialogue…
What does the memorandum of understanding regarding the establishment of 100 Egyptian-German schools represent for Egypt and Germany?
The memorandum of understanding is another milestone in the field of close educational cooperation dating back to a long history between Germany and Egypt, as this agreement aims to combine the best education systems in Egypt and benefit from German educational experience as well as providing methodological and educational support under Egyptian responsibility.
Through this declaration of intent, Germany and Egypt would like to build on the close cooperation in the field of education that has existed for decades and contribute further to achieving understanding and strengthening friendship between the two peoples.
In the long term, the benefit will not only be for students, but also for the economy, culture and society in both countries.
Will the schools cover all governorates of Egypt or specific governorates?
The plan aims to establish approximately 100 schools of a distinct type in various parts of Egypt, benefiting from German educational experience as well as providing methodological and educational support under Egyptian responsibility.
During their educational journey until they reach high school, students will receive a comprehensive set of courses that include intensive language training in German and English, and the consolidation of basic values such as access to education, non-discrimination, tolerance, personal responsibility and critical thinking.
Which German institutions will participate in the school teaching plan?
The main actors are the Goethe-Institut and the Central Administration of German Schools Abroad. Experts from the Goethe-Institut, based on their many years of work in Egypt, and from the Central Administration of German Schools Abroad will develop quality standards and pedagogical concepts together with Egyptian partners.
The Goethe-Institut has been working for a long time to provide support in the field of language teaching and the transmission of German culture through a close partnership with the Egyptian Ministry of Education. Within the framework of this educational cooperation, nearly two thousand German teachers in Egypt and more than two thousand schools in which German is taught as a foreign language have benefited. They benefited from the advice provided by the Goethe-Institut and its training courses.
When will the implementation plan for Egyptian German schools start? How will this be done?
Egypt will build schools, and the establishment of this new type of school will be accompanied by a mixed Egyptian-German advisory committee, and then the development of this new type of school will be followed up by this committee.
The plan to build Egyptian-German schools in Egypt will be implemented starting from the next academic year 2024-2025.
What does Germany aim to establish Egyptian-German schools in Egypt?
Berlin seeks to increase the number of people learning German in Egypt in order to support them to travel to Germany for work in the future, as there are 500,000 Egyptians who now speak German.
There are also seven German schools in Egypt and 30 schools supported by the Goethe-Institut within the framework of Germany’s partner schools.
Tell us about the stages of your current visit to Egypt on the sidelines of signing the Egyptian-German schools agreement?
My current visit to Egypt comes after my last visit 15 years ago, with the aim of signing the very important agreement with the Egyptian Minister of Education Reda Hegazy and the Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat.
However, on the sidelines of my visits, I visited a number of German institutions during my visits to Cairo, including the Goethe Institute, the German School in Dokki, the German University in Cairo, and the German Antiquities Mission in Egypt. These institutions are the strong foundation for Egyptian-German cooperation in the fields of culture and education.
These days we celebrate International Women’s Day and Egyptian Women’s Day. How does the German Foreign Ministry support women in Germany and around the world, including Egypt?
Of course, I extend my congratulations to Egyptian women on the occasion of International Women’s Day, especially Egyptian women. As for our support for them and their role, Germany’s internal and foreign policy sees strengthening the role of women as an essential part of it, as the status of women is an important indicator of the stability of societies.
Germany follows a feminist foreign policy that puts those affected at the heart of its concerns. During her first visit to Egypt, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said succinctly, “Women’s rights are the basis of the state of our societies. Their rights are the standard against which we must measure all our freedoms and safety.”
The German Embassy in Cairo supports various projects to empower women, ranging from vocational training to educational campaigns on women’s freedom and rights.
Before the war, did Germany support culture and education in Gaza and the West Bank? Will Germany continue to support them?
Germany has a strong commitment to supporting the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and Ramallah, and of course we have many partnerships with the Palestinian government in Ramallah in the fields of culture and education. Germany has a broad cultural and institutional presence in the Palestinian territories, and seeks to return it quickly after the situation in Gaza stabilizes and the war ends.
But with the tragedy that Palestinian civilians are currently witnessing in the Gaza Strip as a result of the ongoing war in its sixth month, we are paying greater humanitarian attention to those affected.
