Egypt minister looks to China for technical education cooperation

Egypt is willing to cooperate with China in the educational industry, especially in vocational training programs, Education Minister Mahmoud Abul Nasr said, as the North African nation seeks to boost its technical talents and professionals to develop the country.

"I'm looking forward to visiting China to develop and modernize the Egyptian education, especially the vocational programs, and benefit from the Chinese experience in that field," Abul Nasr told Xinhua in an exclusive interview.

"No one can deny that China has made great progress in technical education," Nasr said, adding that 60 percent of Egypt's students are enrolled in vocational education programs, while the other 40 percent joined the public education system.

Most of Egypt's technological and scientific equipment has been imported from China, the leading country in vocational and technical training, where about 29.3 million students enroll into technical and vocational schools and institutes every year, the minister added.

"Vocational education has the priority in 2014-2030 national strategy for education," Nasr said, noting a new policy promoting a "school inside factory and factory inside school" model will be adopted, whereby classrooms are built into factories.