The Ministry of Social Solidarity hosted a delegation from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Tokyo to review the progress of the Early Childhood Quality Improvement Project, which is being implemented in collaboration with JICA. The delegation was led by Dr. Shinichiro Tanaka, Senior Advisor for Basic Education at JICA’s Human Resources Development Group, and Mr. Yasuto Masamune, an Assistant Expert on Basic Education, along with accompanying team members.
Engineer Marguerite Sarofim, Deputy Minister of Social Solidarity, welcomed the Japanese delegation at the Ministry’s headquarters in the New Administrative Capital. The meeting, attended by several key figures, focused on the ongoing cooperation between the Ministry of Social Solidarity and JICA within the framework of the Egyptian-Japanese Education Partnership. Dr. Hani Helal, former Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Secretary-General of the Egyptian-Japanese Education Partnership Initiative, also participated, along with Randa Faris, Advisor to the Minister of Social Solidarity on Family Health and Development, Women, and Children’s Issues, and Director of the “Mawada” program, Mona El Shabrawy, Head of the Central Administration for Family and Women’s Affairs, and Amira Taj El-Din, Director of the Department for International Agreements and Relations. The meeting also included senior officials from the Ministry of Social Solidarity and JICA and representatives involved in early childhood development.
During the meeting, Deputy Minister Sarofim emphasized the significant cooperation between the Ministry and JICA in enhancing the quality of early childhood education. She also highlighted a recently signed protocol between the Ministry, the Ministries of Local Development and Education, and the National Alliance for Civil Development Work to support and develop a number of family and child development centers in rural areas under the “Haya Karima” presidential initiative. The project includes establishing nurseries meeting high standards and using upper floors to create kindergarten classrooms.
The meeting also reviewed the achievements of the first phase of the program, which involved training facilitators in nurseries, developing activity books, launching awareness campaigns for parents, providing educational materials, and initiating the second phase, which began in 2022 and will continue until 2026. This phase targets 500 nurseries across nine governorates.
In response, the Japanese delegation expressed their gratitude to the Ministry of Social Solidarity, emphasizing the long-standing collaboration with JICA and the ongoing sharing of Japanese expertise in early childhood education, particularly the concept of learning through play.
As part of their visit, the JICA delegation also toured the “Roya” Nursery and “Happy Child” Nursery in 6th of October to observe the implementation of the program. They held an open discussion with nursery facilitators to better understand the services offered and the training mechanisms used to develop children’s skills. The delegation also visited the Red Crescent Nursery in Faisal and participated in an awareness seminar for mothers at the Fustat Association.
