Egyptian writers commented on regional and local affairs in Wednesday’s newspaper. Education came as a frequent topic of op-eds, as the Egyptian Education Ministry struggles to implement reforms.
In state-owned daily Al-Ahram, Osama Al-Ghazaly Harb wrote about education, which should be the country’s current priority according to him, mainly in public schools. Al-Ghazaly wrote that in those schools, fees have become higher than parents’ financial abilities, even though education is supposed to be for free there. Students are often required to buy materials and stationary, participate in class decorations as well as take private lessons.
In the private Al-Masry Al-Youm, Amr Al-Shobaki opinionated that the minister continues to disregard public opinion, going along with a vision that is far from providing actual reform. As he has been doing for a while, Al-Shobaki published one of his readers’ letters which pointed out issues of classes’ density, and an unrealistic desire to implement technological reform regarding high school students.
For George Ishaac in the privately-owned Al-Shorouk newspaper, a reform plan should be the outcome of an independent experts’ committee, who would work on an inclusive plan for five years. Ishaac recounts his experience with education development both as a student and as a teacher, highlighting the importance of extra-curriculum activities, serious teacher training, and inclusion in the decision-making process.
Meanwhile, writers resumed their commentaries on Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder case. Al-Masry Al-Youm’s Seliman Gouda claimed that he knew Khashoggi and had met him several times. However, communication between them had become less frequent since the Saudi journalist became a supporter of political Islam, Gouda wrote. He further expressed “admiration” towards how the Saudi government handled the case, by making the incident public and arresting people, thus blocking attempts for the case to be used against them.
For editor-in-chief of the private Al-Shourouk newspaper Emad El-Din Hussein, the kingdom corrected a dangerous path when it began admitting the mistake instead of trying to cover it up. Hussein argued that the more transparent investigations are, the better the Saudis will be able to overcome the crisis, although he wondered why, in the first place, this action had occurred.
