It seems unsurprising that an 18 year-old Egyptian woman wants to be a journalist. Many were politicized by the 2010 Revolution.
To achieve the necessary college education she must get high grades in the final General Secondary School exam next summer – and to do this she must organise and pay for her own (private) education outwith the state schooling.
Supplementing school work with private tutors or a tutor centre after school is a requisite for millions of high achieving students in Korea, Japan and China.
Ragha though lives in a Cairo slum, the youngest of five girls born to illiterate parents. With both parents in casual work, there is no bank of mum-and-dad to help her much. To pay her tutors 300 LE per month (US$490 – the monthly wage for some 30% in Egypt) she makes cards and jewellery with a local NGO, El Badaya, that then sell their work on their behalf..
State schooling in Egypt is free, but no one expects any student to learn anything at school.
The teaching profession does not attract the brightest and best – only those with a low-grade leaving certificates and no better options go into the profession and through the (poor) teacher training colleges.
The low status of teachers is reflected in their low earnings – the basic salary of 300 – 350 LE (US$ 49 – 57) can be boosted to 600 – 650 LE (US$98 – 106) with evidence of a full attendance time sheet. Even before the high inflation these past two years, this is barely enough to live on.
So poorly educated, then poorly trained, and without the means to put food on the table, it is small wonder that these teachers are poorly motivated and supplement their income with private tutoring or second jobs in order to survive.
El Badaya director, Sanaa, contends that illiteracy is increasing in Egypt. Publically available statistics may claim that illiteracy is being reduced year on year, but the national survey does not ask the right question, says Sanaa, The surveyors only ask people if they have school certificate – this is taken as proof of literacy. Only if the rsponder has no certificate is the question asked if the person can read or write.
“The exam is a joke. The answers are on a blackboard to copy down,” says Sanaa, “since all children must be in school until 9th grade minimum, no-one is allowed to fail.”
To prove her point, El Badaya surveyed 3000 students in 4th – 6th grades in six schools last year. 4th graders were given end of year 3rd year exam, 5 th grade 4th grade test etc.Of the 2,600 that were completed and valid “we found that 64% of the children flunked the basic literary test. And of these 64% , half were completely illiterate. The maths results were not much better.” Says Sanaa
The result is that those students who want to get an education, and want to pass the final General Secondary School exam, must privately employ tutors as an alternative school or go to tutoring centres.
Ragha has clubbed together with nine other students to employ eight tutors to teach one hour per week. Her share is 300 LE (US$49) per month.
The schools though hold one trump card: only they can enter students for the all-important General Secondary School exam. School attendance required is just once a week.
Until the new Minister of Education ‘brings both teacher and student back to the classroom’ as he promised, all students, rich and poor, depend on this informal education system to get through their final exams.