The General Secondary Education Certificate, known as thanaweya amma, underwent a major revamp in August of this year as part of an overhaul of Egypt’s education spearheaded by newly appointed Minister of Education Mohamed Abdel Latif.
The minister shifted the grading system, eliminating subjects and introducing new ones that contribute to final grades for high school students.
In the new grading system, first- and second-year high school students have only six subjects that count toward their final scores, a decrease from ten and eight subjects, respectively.
Third-year high school students, or thanaweya amma students, also saw a change with just five subjects being graded instead of seven. Additionally, second foreign languages like German, French, and Spanish, as well as geology, psychology, and religious studies will be graded on a pass/fail basis, not affecting the overall grade.
The reforms mainly impacted teachers, thousands of whom had their subjects excluded from the final grade calculation, hence reducing their chances of earning additional income from private tutoring.
With the average monthly salary of a teacher in Egypt being EGP 7,750 (USD 157.6), teachers are struggling without the extra income of private tutoring, a primary source for many teachers.
“Private lessons were how I supported my family, and put my children through school,” Ahmed El-Said*, a 42-year-old French teacher in a public school in Cairo told Egyptian Streets. “But now, parents see no point in paying for extra lessons in a subject that won’t affect university admissions.”
The new grading system has reduced the number of subjects contributing to final grades for high school students. Now, first- and second-year high school students have only six subjects that count toward their final scores, a decrease from ten and eight subjects, respectively.
Third-year high school students, or thanaweya amma students, also saw a change with just five subjects being graded instead of seven. Additionally, second foreign languages like German, French, and Spanish, as well as geology, psychology, and religious studies will be graded on a pass/fail basis, not affecting the overall grade.
El-Said shared that his income from private tutoring dropped by more than half during the 2024-2025 school year thus far, highly affecting his life.
In Egypt, private tutoring has been a widespread practice across all educational levels, with 81 percent of secondary, 64 percent of preparatory, and 56 percent of primary students taking classes for decades.
“For 20 years, I’ve been a French teacher. I’ve seen generations of students learn the language, love it, and make use of it post-graduation,” El-Said explained.
While El-Said tries to remain hopeful, and privately teach students still interested in learning for personal growth, he admits that, “It’s hard to reinvent yourself at my age, and I’m not the only one struggling.”
Laila Hamdy, a 46-year-old psychology teacher in a private school in Giza, found her small classroom emptier than ever.
“My salary is above average, but, with price hikes and the increasing demands of life, I need some extra income that I can not make right now,” she told Egyptian Streets, stressing her frustration for losing the students she used to tutor privately.
“No one cares about psychology now that students just need to pass the test,” she said, voicing her concern over how teachers rely financially on private tutoring, and students only invest in their studies to increase their university admissions prospects, not for the sole purpose of learning.
Despite her worries, Hamdy still goes to school every day, her passion intact, even if her career prospects have dimmed.
On the other hand, Mahmoud Selim, a 50-year-old geology teacher in a public school in Giza, has been severely impacted in many ways.
“I was once proud to teach a subject that connected students to their land and its resources. Now, they see it as pointless,” Selim said.
As the reform stripped geology of its weight in the final exam calculation, he watched his role as an educator diminish, significantly affecting his income.
Selim’s private tutoring business has all but dried up. With the sudden drop in demand, he has been forced to consider teaching a different subject or leaving the profession altogether, taking on unrelated work to make ends meet.
“I never thought I’d see the day when I’d have to choose between being a teacher and providing for my son,” he said, stressing that he is a geologist at heart.
Like many other teachers affected by the change, Selim tries to inspire the few who remain in his classroom, as he navigates the harsh realities of a life made nearly untenable by the soaring cost of living in Egypt.
*Name has been changed to protect the source’s privacy.
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