President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has directed officials to increase the number of beds in existing university hospitals and open additional facilities, as he reviewed the progress of education and higher-education projects across Egypt.
The directives came during a meeting with Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly, Education and Technical Education Minister Mohamed Abdel-Latif, Higher Education and Scientific Research Minister Abdelaziz Konsowa, and senior officials from the Armed Forces Engineering Authority and Armed Forces Financial Affairs Authority. The discussion covered coordination between the education and higher-education ministries, as well as the implementation of joint programs and projects.
President El-Sisi stressed the need to complete projects promptly and bring them up to high standards, according to a statement from the presidency. He said expanding hospital capacity should go hand in hand with improving the quality of healthcare. The meeting also reviewed construction and development work being carried out by the Armed Forces Engineering Authority on behalf of the Ministry of Higher Education.
Among the projects discussed were new national and technological universities, research centers and institutes, and a university project in the New Administrative Capital. Officials also reviewed progress on Galala Teaching Hospital, which is planned to have 577 beds.
The president was briefed on the National Cancer Institute project in Sheikh Zayed, also known as Hospital 500500. The facility is planned to have 340 beds. President El-Sisi emphasized the importance of partnering with an international operator to support the hospital’s operation and help ensure a high standard of medical care. The review placed the cancer institute among a wider set of health and higher-education projects whose timely completion, officials said, is intended to expand services and improve their quality.
The meeting also addressed education infrastructure projects undertaken by the Ministry of Education and implemented by the Armed Forces Engineering Authority, including Japanese schools in several areas. Abdel-Latif reported that average attendance across educational levels had reached 91.6% during the 2026–2027 academic year. He also outlined efforts to reduce the use of evening school shifts and incorporate digital learning programs into curricula.
Those programs include financial literacy and programming, according to the minister’s presentation. The discussion also covered Egypt’s cooperation with Japan on school education. A total of 103 Japanese schools have been established, with more than 31,000 students enrolled, the minister said.
International partnerships featured prominently in the review. Abdel-Latif outlined plans to work with Italy to establish 100 technical education schools in Egypt, with the stated goal of doubling that number within two years. The meeting also considered cooperation with Germany to equip 50 schools with modern technological systems and establish centers of excellence. The German side is expected to build the centers and oversee their educational operations in partnership with Egypt’s private sector.
The minister also presented the outcomes of a recent visit to Singapore, including an agreement to launch joint research into the use of artificial intelligence in education. The proposed cooperation is also intended to broaden ties between educational institutions, support the exchange of expertise in teacher training and professional development, and draw on Singapore’s experience in creating learning environments that respond more closely to labor-market needs and future demands.
President El-Sisi called for continued international cooperation and the exchange of expertise with countries and leading educational institutions. He emphasized expanding partnerships in both education and higher education, linking the international initiatives discussed at the meeting with the broader effort to develop Egypt’s educational system.
The review brought together projects spanning schools, technical education, universities, research institutions and teaching hospitals. Its agenda included the development of new facilities as well as efforts to improve existing services, from reducing evening shifts and integrating digital learning to raising hospital capacity.
The presidency’s statement did not provide completion dates for the projects reviewed. It said, however, that President El-Sisi instructed officials to take the necessary measures to accelerate implementation and modernize facilities to meet the standards required for educational and medical services.
