Minister of Education and Minister of Environment Discuss Strengthening Cooperation in Environmental Education.
Mr. Mohamed Abdel Latif, Minister of Education and Technical Education, met with Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment, to discuss enhancing cooperation between the two ministries in integrating school students into environmental activities and fostering a culture of environmental preservation. The meeting was attended by Dr. Emad Adly, Environmental Minister’s Advisor for Community Dialogue, National Director of the Small Grants Program, and President of the Egyptian Sustainable Development Forum, also Dr. Shereen Fikry, Assistant Minister for Coordination and Environmental Policy Application and Head of the Central Administration for Ministerial Affairs, in addition to Ms. Yasmine Salem, Assistant Minister for Coordination and Government Relations, as well as, Engineer Mohamed Mostafa, Director of Training and Awareness in the Minister of Environment’s Office, and Dr. Rehab Youssef, Director-General of Culture and Awareness.
From the Ministry of Education, Ms. Shereen Hamdy, Advisor to the Minister for International Relations and Agreements and Supervisor of the Central Administration for Ministerial Affairs, as well as, Dr. Iman Hassan, Head of the Central Administration for Student Activities, and Dr. Akram Hassan, Head of the Central Administration for Curriculum Development, were present.
Minister Mohamed Abdel Latif emphasized that the meeting continues the ongoing collaboration between the two ministries. He highlighted the ministry’s commitment to incorporating modern environmental concepts, such as climate change, biodiversity, and environmental sustainability, into the curriculum. He stressed the importance of rooting these concepts at a young age and ensuring that students take on social responsibility and actively participate in environmental protection through practical, real-world applications.
Dr. Yasmine Fouad praised the productive and constructive cooperation between the two ministries, expressing hope for further collaboration and building on the successes achieved so far. These include integrating environmental dimensions into educational curricula and participating in waste management systems within schools, as well as implementing school cleaning and tree-planting campaigns. She noted that these efforts align with the Ministry of Education’s new vision for school development. She also highlighted the efforts of the Ministry of Environment, through its regional branches and civil society, to raise environmental awareness in schools through a variety of environmental activities.
Dr. Emad Adly pointed out that schools can serve as centers for societal change. Therefore, it would be important to launch a joint initiative between the Ministries of Environment and Education, in collaboration with private recycling companies. He suggested that the sustainable development departments in educational directorates could participate in the implementation of these activities. He emphasized the need to establish clear mechanisms for execution and proposed starting with a limited number of schools as a model that could be expanded nationwide. Dr. Adly also suggested implementing a recycling initiative within schools by coordinating with school principals and waste management companies, which would be responsible for collecting the accumulated waste from schools.
