Cairo: Minister of Education and Technical Education Mohamed Abdel-Latif said that the new Egyptian Baccalaureate System, set to replace the decades-old Thanaweya Amma (high school) system, is merely a proposal open to any amendments through community dialogue. Minister Abdel-Latif made these remarks during the first session of community dialogue held to discuss the newly proposed system.

According to State Information Service Egypt, earlier on Thursday, the education ministry unveiled the proposed system, which targets students entering the 10th grade in the next academic year. “The new academic system aims to eliminate private tutoring and reduce psychological pressure on students and their families,” according to Minister Abdel-Latif. Additionally, he said that the system would exempt those unable to pay the fee for subsequent exam attempts, emphasizing that “A student’s future cannot depend on a single exam attempt.”

High school students previously had to study 32 subjects, a number considered unprecedented for a high school curriculum. Accordingly, all past experiences were reviewed to reform the high school system, he clarified. The dialogue sessions concerning the new academic system aim to gather diverse perspectives on the new educational system.

The discussions will focus on reducing the number of subjects to alleviate the burden on Egyptian families, offering various educational pathways for students, and discussing the general rules for grade aggregation and multiple exam retake attempts. According to a statement by the education ministry, the dialogue sessions will include meetings with school boards of trustees, parents, and teachers nationwide.

This is the second time the secondary education system has been amended. The first time was the comprehensive restructuring plan for the Thanaweya Amma (high school) education system, unveiled in August 2024.