The Normal Secondary Schooling Certificates, generally known as thanaweya amma, underwent a serious revamp in August of this 12 months as a part of an overhaul of Egypt’s schooling spearheaded by newly appointed Minister of Schooling Mohamed Abdel Latif.
The minister shifted the grading system, eliminating topics and introducing new ones that contribute to remaining grades for highschool college students.
Within the new grading system, first- and second-year highschool college students have solely six topics that rely towards their remaining scores, a lower from ten and eight topics, respectively.
Third-year highschool college students, or thanaweya amma college students, additionally noticed a change with simply 5 topics being graded as a substitute of seven. Moreover, second international languages like German, French, and Spanish, in addition to geology, psychology, and spiritual research will likely be graded on a move/fail foundation, not affecting the general grade.
The reforms primarily impacted lecturers, hundreds of whom had their topics excluded from the ultimate grade calculation, therefore decreasing their probabilities of incomes extra earnings from personal tutoring.
With the typical month-to-month wage of a instructor in Egypt being EGP 7,750 (USD 157.6), lecturers are struggling with out the additional earnings of personal tutoring, a major supply for a lot of lecturers.
“Non-public classes have been how I supported my household, and put my kids via college,” Ahmed El-Stated*, a 42-year-old French instructor in a public college in Cairo instructed Egyptian Streets. “However now, dad and mom see no level in paying for further classes in a topic that received’t have an effect on college admissions.”
The brand new grading system has lowered the variety of topics contributing to remaining grades for highschool college students. Now, first- and second-year highschool college students have solely six topics that rely towards their remaining scores, a lower from ten and eight topics, respectively.
Third-year highschool college students, or thanaweya amma college students, additionally noticed a change with simply 5 topics being graded as a substitute of seven. Moreover, second international languages like German, French, and Spanish, in addition to geology, psychology, and spiritual research will likely be graded on a move/fail foundation, not affecting the general grade.
El-Stated shared that his earnings from personal tutoring dropped by greater than half through the 2024-2025 college 12 months to this point, extremely affecting his life.
In Egypt, personal tutoring has been a widespread observe throughout all academic ranges, with 81 p.c of secondary, 64 p.c of preparatory, and 56 p.c of major college students taking lessons for many years.
“For 20 years, I’ve been a French instructor. I’ve seen generations of scholars be taught the language, adore it, and make use of it post-graduation,” El-Stated defined.
Whereas El-Stated tries to stay hopeful, and privately educate college students nonetheless thinking about studying for private development, he admits that, “It’s exhausting to reinvent your self at my age, and I’m not the one one struggling.”
Laila Hamdy, a 46-year-old psychology instructor in a personal college in Giza, discovered her small classroom emptier than ever.
“My wage is above common, however, with value hikes and the growing calls for of life, I would like some further earnings that I cannot make proper now,” she instructed Egyptian Streets, stressing her frustration for dropping the scholars she used to tutor privately.
“Nobody cares about psychology now that college students simply must move the check,” she mentioned, voicing her concern over how lecturers rely financially on personal tutoring, and college students solely spend money on their research to extend their college admissions prospects, not for the only function of studying.
Regardless of her worries, Hamdy nonetheless goes to highschool daily, her ardour intact, even when her profession prospects have dimmed.
Alternatively, Mahmoud Selim, a 50-year-old geology instructor in a public college in Giza, has been severely impacted in some ways.
“I used to be as soon as proud to show a topic that linked college students to their land and its sources. Now, they see it as pointless,” Selim mentioned.
Because the reform stripped geology of its weight within the remaining examination calculation, he watched his position as an educator diminish, considerably affecting his earnings.
Selim’s personal tutoring enterprise has all however dried up. With the sudden drop in demand, he has been compelled to think about educating a unique topic or leaving the career altogether, taking over unrelated work to make ends meet.
“I by no means thought I’d see the day after I’d have to decide on between being a instructor and offering for my son,” he mentioned, stressing that he’s a geologist at coronary heart.
Like many different lecturers affected by the change, Selim tries to encourage the few who stay in his classroom, as he navigates the tough realities of a life made practically untenable by the hovering value of dwelling in Egypt.
*Title has been modified to guard the supply’s privateness.
