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NEWS • VIEWS • INFORMATION • ADVICE


After the revolution – teaching in Egypt

The scenes of revolution in Egypt’s Tahrir Square broadcast all over the world marked not just the end of Hosni Mubarak’s autocratic rule but the start of a new era of hope and aspiration for the country. Tariq Arafa of NASUWT was in the Egyptian capital shortly after these historic events. He shares his experience with Teaching Today readers.

(Photo captioned: Ahmed, headteacher)

(Photo captioned: the streets of Cairo)

As we drive from Cairo International Airport just three weeks after the uprising, signs of the revolt – positive signs – are everywhere. Teenagers sweep the streets and paint the city’s iconic black and white kerbs, while streetsellers push Egyptian flags as the notoriously chaotic traffic whizzes by. One or two enormous green tanks punctuate the route but their occupants look relaxed.

Education neglected

Our taxi driver, Ahmed [below], is a headteacher and maths teacher at Abu Bakr Al Siddiq School, a primary school in a deprived, inner city district of Cairo. He holds down three jobs to support his three daughters, receiving the equivalent of £100 (GBP) for his role as a teacher. His school has over 3,500 pupils with average class sizes of 70. Illiteracy is rife among parents.

As we drive through sewage-sodden roads and favela-style shacks to reach the school, this impoverished, neglected and forgotten section of Egyptian society left by Mubarak comes into sharp focus.

Across Egypt, many families say they prefer their children to receive private tuition. Ahmed suggests there is a reason for this: “There are a large number of teachers on temporary contracts. Their contracts are terminated at the end of term and they don’t get paid holidays. These teachers don’t have the same commitment and devotion as the few permanent ones.”

Yet, typically, the teachers here are stoical, committed and eager to provide a better future for the next generation.

Ahmed’s school has not escaped the adverse effects of the revolution. He shows me inside to a computer room where all computers were taken during the uprising. However, regime change has also brought new hope that schools will get the investment they so badly need. And, after 30 years of iron-fisted rule, injustice and corruption, one of the teachers takes great delight in removing a picture of Mubarak from his classroom wall.

Under-investment

Pupils join the school at six years of age and start learning English straightaway. For most youngsters, learning English is the only way out of poverty. School books in Egypt are subsidised by the government, while pupils pay tuition fees of LE45 (Egyptian pounds) – around £4.50 per year. The life chances for Egyptian children are extremely limited. Years of under-investment in education by the Mubarak regime have transformed the school system from one of the most enviable in the Arab world to one that falls woefully short of western standards.

With the curriculum having been dictated by the government, teachers feel that the syllabus fails to cover different cultures and social backgrounds. Ahmed says: “Teachers are the experts but they are not being asked about changes to the curriculum.”

The revolution has heralded a new era for trade unionism too, where state control has dominated the 24 professional trade unions for decades. Ahmed’s colleague Mohamed also runs the school. Mohamed is keen to let me know about what is wrong with state education in his country: “Teachers are very poorly paid. Although they can boost their income for out-of-hours extra tuition, the cost of living remains high. We want unions to speak on behalf of teachers, but, because teaching is funded by the government, unions are poorly funded and cannot be open and democratic.”

Mohamed is paid LE800 (£80) each month while Ahmed gets LE1,000 (£100) as he has been in his post for longer. “The salary does not reflect (Continued on page 29...)

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