The Education System in Egypt

The Egyptian educational system is highly centralized, and is divided into basic education, which comprises primary stage and preparatory stage, secondary education and post-secondary education. The free compulsory education law applies only to the preparatory phase.

The education system in Egypt is not only the largest in the Middle East and North Africa region but also one of the largest in the world. The great majority of students in Egypt at the primary to tertiary levels are enrolled in public institutions. Girls' enrollment rates consistently lag behind those of boys, however.

Public higher education is free in Egypt, and Egyptian students only pay registration fees. Private education is much more expensive. Major universities include Cairo University, Alexandria University, and the 1,000-year-old Al-Azhar University, one of the world's major centers of Islamic learning. However, the general environment in the majority of universities does not foster research productivity or innovation by staff members.