Education in Egypt - Demographics

Demographics

The literacy rate in Egypt is 71 percent as of 2005. There is special attention given by the government and other NGOs to reduce gender disparity in education and to achieve the 2015 MDG of universal primary education.

The Egyptian educational system is highly centralized, and is divided into three stages:

• Basic Education (Arabic: التعليم الأساسى‎, transliteration: al-Taʿaleem al-Asassī)
  • Primary Stage
  • Preparatory Stage
• Secondary Education (Arabic: التعليم الثانوى‎, transliteration: al-Taʿaleem al-Thanawī)
• Post-Secondary education (Arabic: التعليم الجامعى‎, transliteration: al-Taʿaleem al-Gammeʿī)

Since Egypt's extension of the free compulsory education law in 1981 to include the Preparatory Stage, both Primary and Preparatory phases (Ages 6 through 14) have been combined together under the label Basic Education. Education beyond this stage depends on the student's ability.