Tuesday 19/Aug/2025 – 05:01 PM
Despite the warnings issued earlier by the Ministry of Education regarding the failure of students to enroll in the Egyptian baccalaureate system, some secondary schools in Giza Governorate still exert pressure on students and parents to force them to choose the new system, in an explicit violation of the official instructions that stressed the optional of the system.
Schools in Giza continue to force students to the baccalaureate system
The complaints of parents had begun to appear a few weeks ago, and messages attributed to some school departments were circulated through school communication groups, including phrases such as: “The baccalaureate is compulsory, and whoever refuses will be transferred to another school.” Despite previous interventions and warnings from the ministry, practices are continuing on the ground, which increases anxiety and anger among families.
A number of parents emphasized that some schools did not adhere to the official directives, but rather continue to present the baccalaureate as if it were the “only option”, without providing a real opportunity to choose between it and the traditional high school system, which is inconsistent with what the Minister of Education Mohamed Abdel -Latif announced on more than one occasion.
The new Egyptian baccalaureate system
The minister had stressed that the Egyptian baccalaureate is completely optional, and it is available alongside the traditional system, so that the student and his guardian are granted freedom of differentiation based on the student’s capabilities and inclinations, and not under pressure or administrative obligation.
In exchange for these practices, some educational directorates began to organize awareness seminars inside schools, aiming to explain the difference between the two systems, and to help families to make the appropriate decision, but parents stressed that these seminars are still limited in light of practices described as “coercive” within some schools.
Parents demand the necessity of direct supervision of the ministry, and to ensure the implementation of instructions that clearly stipulate the option of the baccalaureate system, to prevent confusion at the beginning of the school year, and to preserve the principle of equal opportunities among all students.
