By Manal Abdel Fattah
Japanese Ambassador to Egypt Oka Hiroshi said that The Government of Japan will support the Project for the Improvement of the School for the Mobility Disabled Children in Sayeda Zeinab, Cairo Governorate in Ganna School, by granting around 102,323 US dollars for Development to providethe access to the safe and appropriate educational environment for mobility disabled children.
He said Ganna School, the subject of this project, is the only public elementary school in Cairo Governorate that accepts the Mobility Disabled children, and 225 children from various parts of the governorate attend the school. Although the school is an important facility for the education of the Mobility Disabled children, the school building, which was built in 1954, has deteriorated, and due to space limitations, it is not able to accept all applicants for admission.
He added that To improve this situation, this project will renovate the school building, add three classrooms, and provide school equipment (desks, chairs, shelves, whiteboards, etc.) and sports equipment.
he continued that Once the project is completed, the school will have the exercise equipment and space needed for basic and essential rehabilitation for Mobility Disabled children, and the number of children the school can accept will be increased, making the educational environment of this school even better.
The ambassador said: In terms of cooperation in education between the Japanese and Egyptian states, the Egypt-Japan Education Partnership was announced during H.E.President El-Sisi’s visit to Japan in 2016, based on the shared recognition of two leaders that human capacity development is the crucial key for successful nation building. I believe that this project will also contribute to human development in the Saida Zeinab area and, by extension, in Egypt, and to supporting Government of Egypt’s efforts to promote inclusive education.
He added: Also, I would like to take this opportunity to emphasize that the civil society plays a pivotal role in the development of the education sector in Egypt. Listening to voices of local inhabitants and identifying actual needs and demands of the community, Egyptian NGOs like Munawer Foundation for Development, have contributed to such a development in Egypt in tandem with relevant initiatives of the Egyptian government.
The ambassador added: I respect the role of NGOs, and the Embassy of Japan has extended approximately US$10 million in Egypt since 1994, supporting 176 projects throughout Egypt in a wide range of sectors including education, health, water and sanitation, vocational training, women empowerment and special need support. The Embassy of Japan will continue to work with various NGOs in Egypt to provide assistance to as many local residents as possible through the implementation of Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (KUSANONE).
