Egypt Civic Education Program
The Egypt Civic Education Program fostered the further development of democracy and civil society in Egypt through increased integration of civic education in the primary and secondary school system.
The program was funded through a grant from the Starr Foundation.
This project is now closed.
Goals
• Increase the availability of information about citizenship and human rights in Egyptian schools
• Train teachers in educational methods to prepare children to actively participate in society
Project Activities
IREX partnered with CEOSS (Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services), a Cairo-based NGO, to administer the following program components:
• Conduct a needs assessment and formulate a strategy for program implementation. A Project Coordinating Committee comprising students, teachers, Ministry of Education officials, NGOs, parents, and technical experts assessed priority needs through visits to schools, interviews with focus groups, and analysis of existing curriculum used in primary and secondary schools. The committee identified several broad themes of civic education to be addressed and suggested appropriate strategies for the implementation of the project.
• Develop civic education curriculum modules and teacher-training materials and manuals. The focus was on integration of various subjects important for civic education in existing school curriculum. Besides introducing new concepts, these materials also presented new methods for teaching students new values and skills. These methods included participation, practical activities, learning through playing, and more. These educational materials and methods were used in schools and educational institutions to teach students the principles of citizenship, human rights, tolerance, cooperation, and respect for diversity.
• Produce manuals for NGOs and teachers. These manuals offered a more detailed description of training, application of curriculum in schools, methods, and activities that can be practiced in and out of schools.
• Train, test, and apply the proposed materials. CEOSS and partner community-based organizations (CBOs) worked with about 30 schools in Egypt to test these materials. Prior to testing, teachers were trained in using these new curriculum materials.
