Egypt introduces baccalaureate certificate system

Minister of Education, Mohamed Abdel Latif, announced during a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, 8 January, the new Egyptian Baccalaureate Certificate System, which will replace the traditional high school system for students starting secondary school next year. The minister presented the key features of the new system, emphasizing a focus on developing critical thinking and intellectual skills rather than memorization. The system will integrate subjects across different fields, such as science, literature, and art, and offer continuous assessment over two years instead of final exams at the end of the school year. This system also includes international recognition and offers students two opportunities to take exams each year, the minister added. However, it was not specified where the recognition will originate from. The Baccalaureate system will be divided into two stages. The first stage, during the first year of secondary school, includes core subjects such as Arabic, religious studies, history, mathematics, and sciences. Additional subjects like programming and computer science will not be included in the total score. In the second year, students will specialize in one of four tracks: medicine and life sciences, engineering and computer science, business, or literature.