Why are we fooling ourselves? We have neither upbringing nor education!

Egypt Independent

a day ago

On Upbringing
It is vital to emphasize that a person's upbringing always comes before their education.
Education without a proper upbringing is useless and provides no benefit. A proper upbringing is the foundational cornerstone upon which future generations are built and their character is refined, and only then does education play its role.
It is a form of care that provides a child with the opportunity to engage in diverse and purposeful activities to develop their mental, sensory, motor, and social skills before formal schooling even begins.
So, where is this idea of upbringing in our schools, which has largely disappeared? And before that, where is it in our homes, which should be the nucleus of society?
If the family unit is sound, society will be sound and its behavior will be upright.
Unfortunately, examples of a lack of proper upbringing are plentiful across Egypt. One such example is the widespread chaos in Egyptian streets, which we have sadly failed to curb. Another is what we see in many of our films and TV shows that prioritize making money at the expense of encouraging societal values.
Furthermore, we frequently read in the crime pages about the decline of society, particularly in incidents where children and young people assault others with sharp weapons, leading to disasters both inside and outside of schools.
This occurs despite the existence of a law to address bullying and intimidation, which dates back to 1937 and was recently amended in 2024 to protect society and maintain peace and security.
This is a fundamental duty of the state, including the Ministry of Interior, governors, and local administrations, whose elections have not been agreed upon for nearly 15 years for reasons that are not well understood.
This is one of the essential causes of the chaos that pervades our governorates.
There are certainly other factors that have contributed to this decline, including families neglecting their children's right to education, health, and nutrition; excessive childbearing influenced by Salafists; and students dropping out of school due to financial need and the search for a livelihood, some of whom support entire families.
So, where is our upbringing, Mr. Minister of Education?
On education
Since the June Revolution, we have had six Ministers of Education, starting with the great Hazem al-Beblawy in 2013 to most recently Mohamed Ahmed Abdel Latif in 2024.
Despite this, we have not moved forward an inch. In fact, our educational problems have only grown in every aspect, which is not the case in any other country around us!
It is well known that education contributes to developing personal and social skills, boosts self-confidence, and helps with economic and social development. It also eradicates poverty and helps build a more conscious and just society.
So, my direct question to all the education specialists and experts, of whom there are many – thank God – is this: have we succeeded in achieving these goals?
The answer is absolutely not.
This is especially true with the current minister, who was the executive director of a group of private schools and the managing director of the 'Advance Education' company for equivalency of American school certificates. He does not have sufficient experience in the field of public education.
Meanwhile, the Council of Ministers approved the establishment of the National Council for Education in May 2024 with the goal of setting general education policies for all types and stages.
After discussions, however, they found that it is not much different from the Supreme Council for Pre-University Education.
In October 2024, the House of Representatives approved the formation of the National Council for Education, Research, and Innovation, which includes 10 ministers, eight specialized experts, and four businessmen. This council was appointed for a renewable two-year term.
Despite this, we were shocked when the Minister of Education requested Parliament's approval to adopt the baccalaureate system.
He claimed that the current high school system does not qualify students for university, whereas the baccalaureate system would produce graduates with the skills and abilities to succeed in university.
He also argued that it would ease the pressure on parents and students and reduce their psychological and financial burdens.
It is well known that private tutoring is still widespread across Egypt. Furthermore, the ministry described the most recent exam as being designed for the average student to pass, which is a disaster.
Cheating has also been—and for years has continued to be—a widespread issue in most exams, including the last one. We need only look at the scandal that occurred at one school where several mothers ganged up to beat a teacher who was proctoring an exam to prevent cheating.
Their hateful anger, a heinous crime unworthy of Egypt, grew when they discovered she was a Christian.
It is astonishing that the minister did not intervene, did not reward the teacher, and did not notify the police to arrest the assailants. The law is above everyone. Another scandal occurred immediately after the results of the last exam were announced, with widespread accusations of deliberate tampering with the answer sheets of many students. Sadly, the minister has not commented on this yet.
So, to whom should the wronged turn?
I was surprised by Minister Mahmoud Fawzy's statement that the Egyptian constitution stipulates that Arabic, religious education, and national history are core subjects at all educational levels.
This is strange because the baccalaureate system, which was suddenly introduced to us, eliminates Arabic in the third year!
The minister knows that many of our youth and children are unable to speak or write their mother tongue well.
As for religious education, religion provides individuals with a moral and ethical framework that guides their behavior.
The responsibility for this falls first on the family and then on religious institutions. Religion is a personal relationship between an individual and their God and should not be tied to exam grades. It would be enough to have a Muslim and a Christian religious leader visit once a week.
We must also preserve the second foreign language and include it in the overall grade.
If we add to this the lack of competent teachers, the need to increase their salaries as mandated by the constitution, the shortage of classrooms, and other chronic problems, it is clear that these issues must be on the table for the National Council for Education.
The council should have fewer ministers and more prominent education specialists, and the minister, along with his assistants, should simply be tasked with implementing the full plan that the National Council prepares.
I urge against rushing into changes that increase burden on parents.
We must restore the principles of a good upbringing alongside education in all our schools and monitor everything that happens in private and international schools. The law must be above everyone to preserve social peace and eliminate the odious classism within the field of education.