Egypt’s education minister declared on Tuesday, 20 October, that the debate is over regarding whether international schools must teach Arabic, history and religion, and whether to count the grades toward students’ final scores. “There is no student who will not study history, Arabic and religion in any Egyptian school,” Minister of Education and Technical Education, Mohamed Abdel Latif, said at the Egypt Forum 2026, taking place from 19 to 24 October 19. “This issue is finished.” During the forum’s education session, an exchange occurred between the minister and Ahmad Tarek Khalil, a businessman who took part in the discussion. Tarek stressed that the Arabic language is important and necessary and should be prioritized in all international schools in Egypt. Abdel Latif agreed with him and said that treating Arabic and History as a pass-or-fail subject would amount to sidelining them. He stressed that the Ministry of Education is also helping international schools teach Arabic. Now, Arabic and history, both taught at international schools, each count for 10 percent of the total score on the international certificate that is equivalent to the Egyptian secondary certificate, making together 20 percent, and the…
