Dr. Hossam Badrawi, Chairman of the Nile Badrawi Foundation for Education and Development, delivered the keynote address today, Sunday, May 10, 2026, during the Annual Education Conference of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt, held at the The Nile Ritz-Carlton under the title:<\/p>\n
\u201cInvesting in Shaping the Future of Education in Egypt\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n The conference was attended by a distinguished group of ministers, decision-makers, investors, leaders in the education and development sectors, as well as representatives of international institutions and the private sector.<\/p>\n The opening session featured keynote speeches by Mr. Mohamed Abdel Latif, Minister of Education and Technical Education, and Dr. Hossam Badrawi, who praised the minister\u2019s efforts during his speech, noting that he was impressed by his ability to transform ideas and visions into tangible implementation steps, considering this an important indication of the seriousness of reform within the educational system.<\/p>\n At the same time, Dr. Badrawi stressed that the real challenge lies not merely in launching visions or initiatives, but in ensuring the sustainability of implementation and preventing educational policies from changing with every new minister or government. He pointed out that he is working on this issue through his follow-up on the implementation of Egypt Vision 2030 goals, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education.<\/p>\n Dr. Hossam Badrawi\u2019s participation, as Chairman of the Nile Badrawi Foundation for Education and Development, was one of the conference\u2019s most prominent moments. In his speech, he presented a forward-looking vision for developing education in Egypt, emphasizing that building human beings must come before building institutions, and that true investment is not in buildings, but in the human mind, awareness, critical thinking, and creativity.<\/p>\n Distinguished guests, esteemed investors, business leaders, ladies and gentlemen,<\/p>\n Throughout many years of public service \u2014 in education, healthcare, politics, and economics \u2014 I have learned that the most dangerous form of poverty is not poverty of money, but poverty of opportunity.<\/p>\n Education is the greatest opportunity a nation can offer its citizens.<\/p>\n If we truly want to build an Egypt capable of competing in the twenty-first century, where do we begin?<\/p>\n My answer has never changed: we begin by providing access to knowledge and building skills through education.<\/p>\n But the deeper question is: how do we view education?<\/p>\n Is it a right for every citizen? Or a service available only to those who can afford it?<\/p>\n That is the question I would like to address with you today.<\/p>\n There is no doubt that the Egyptian people deserve a real and tangible achievement in education and human development.<\/p>\n Egypt\u2019s strength lies in the strength of its people, and that strength can only be achieved through continuous investment in awareness, knowledge, skills, values, and human capabilities.<\/p>\n Education has always been \u2014 and will continue to be \u2014 one of the fundamental pillars of development in every successful nation.<\/p>\n In 2014, I had the honor of participating in the development of Egypt Vision 2030 for education, alongside dozens of experts, specialists, and policymakers through broad societal dialogue.<\/p>\n The dream was clear:<\/p>\n To make education in Egypt a genuine national project, not merely an administrative file or a burden on the state budget.<\/p>\n And we asked ourselves:<\/p>\n What kind of human beings does Egypt want to create for the future?<\/p>\n Do we want graduates who merely memorize information?<\/p>\n Or minds capable of critical thinking and creativity?<\/p>\n The philosophy of education is not merely teaching reading and writing, but building the individual intellectually, morally, and socially.<\/p>\n That is why Egypt Vision 2030 called for education accessible to all without discrimination, of high quality, within an efficient, fair, and sustainable system.<\/p>\n The vision placed both the learner and the teacher at the center, supported by technology and digital empowerment.<\/p>\n It also aimed to build a self-confident citizen who is creative, responsible, respectful of differences, proud of the nation\u2019s history, and capable of competing globally.<\/p>\n But unfortunately, there remains a wide gap between vision and implementation.<\/p>\n And I say this in a spirit of national responsibility.<\/p>\n The Egyptian Constitution obliges the state to allocate no less than 6% of the national income to education.<\/p>\n This is not a luxury \u2014 it is a constitutional right and a foundation for any modern state.<\/p>\n I believe in social liberalism that respects markets and investment, while affirming that certain fundamental rights \u2014 foremost among them education \u2014 must never become commodities.<\/p>\n The private sector is an essential partner in education, but it must complement the role of the state, not replace it.<\/p>\n Because only the state can guarantee educational justice and equal opportunity.<\/p>\n If education becomes governed solely by market logic, we risk creating two societies within one nation:<\/p>\n One that owns the future, and another deprived of it.<\/p>\n Human capital remains the highest-return investment.<\/p>\n Quality education reflects directly on productivity, innovation, social stability, and quality of life.<\/p>\n That is why we need a new social contract for education based on:<\/p>\n A state that considers education a national priority.<\/p>\n A private sector that invests responsibly.<\/p>\n And a society that understands education is not merely a certificate, but the building of awareness, character, and competence.<\/p>\n Developing responsible systems for university student loans can also open the doors of higher education to talented youth without turning education into a financial burden.<\/p>\n And we must acknowledge clearly:<\/p>\n Egypt\u2019s education system requires deep structural reform that can no longer be postponed.<\/p>\n Allow me to conclude with one final thought:<\/p>\n History will not only remember the number of bridges and roads we built.<\/p>\n It will remember whether we built human beings capable of crossing into the future.<\/p>\n The child sitting today in a poor classroom in a remote village may become a leader or scientist who changes Egypt\u2019s future \u2014 if we grant him or her a genuine opportunity.<\/p>\n And I still deeply believe that Egypt is capable of succeeding if it restores education to its rightful place:<\/p>\n As a right.<\/p>\n As a value.<\/p>\n As an investment.<\/p>\n And as one of the nation\u2019s highest priorities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dr. Hossam Badrawi, Chairman of the Nile Badrawi Foundation for Education and Development, delivered the keynote address today, Sunday, May 10, 2026, during the Annual Education Conference of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt, held at the The Nile Ritz-Carlton under the title: \u201cInvesting in Shaping the Future of Education in Egypt\u201d The conference …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13851,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[290,280,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-290","category-2026-collective-activities-articles","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nDr. Badrawi\u2019s Speech<\/h3>\n