Egypt’s poor to receive monthly reward for sending children to school

“Poor families who have their children attending school regularly and ensure they are immunized on time will get a monthly income of 550 to 660 EGP from the Ministry of Solidarity,” Ministry of Education Mahmoud Abou el-Nasr said in a phone interview on Al-Hayat TV channel Thursday.

Abou el-Nasr said the Ministry of Education issued a year ago exempting low-income families from paying school fees, including children of “martyrs,” breadwinning women, and orphans.

“The ministry aims to support poor families and enable them to directly pay for their own children’s education,” he said. The Ministry of Solidarity is coordinating with the Ministry of Education to apply this decision on the five poorest governorates in Egypt. “This program will boost cooperation between both ministries for the benefit of all Egyptians,” Al-Mary Al-Youm reported Tuesday.

The ministry will grant poor families a monthly pension if they follow up on the health condition of their children under 6 years of age. Children ages 6 to 18 will have to attend school, keep their attendance over 85 percent, and not miss a class more than three days a month.