This historical case study examines the rhetoric, action, and outcomes of educational policy reforms in Egypt during the first quarter-century of the presidency of Mohamed Hosni Mubarak. The findings are based on an extensive review of Egyptian government, international organization, and project documents as well as interviews with key stakeholders. The study focused on proposed and implemented changes in the organization and distribution of various governance and management functions across school/community, district/idarra, governorate/muddiriya, and national/central levels of the education system. During the period under review Egypt experienced movement though uneven toward increased decentralization, with calls for deconcentration of responsibility in 1981, Ministry of Education actions that restricted local decision-making authority in the 1990s, and some concerted efforts toward delegation and devolution of authority as well as responsibility after 2001. In terms of community participation, during this period there were calls for and actions toward implementing broader and deeper forms and degrees of involvement by parents, civil society, and businesses. We draw on the following concepts to analyze a develop an account of these developments: institutional framework, financial resources, system leaders' capacity and political will, civil society's leaders' capacity and political will, global dynamics, and the role of international organizations. Reformando el gobierno y la administración Educativa en Egipto. Dinámicas y actores Nacionales e Internacionales.Resumen: Este trabajo es un "estudio de casos histórico" que examina la retórica, acciones, y los resultados de las reformas de políticas educativas en Egipto durante el primer cuarto de siglo de la Presidencia de Mohamed Hosni Mubarak. Las conclusiones se basan en una extensa revisión de documentos de proyectos del gobierno egipcio e organizaciones internacionales, así como entrevistas con actores relevantes. El estudio se centró en las propuestas y los cambios implementados en la organización y distribución de funciones de gobierno y de gestión a través de la escuela/ comunidad, distrito (o idarra), en la gobernación (o muddiriya), y los niveles centrales nacionales del sistema educativo. Durante el período analizado, Egipto experimentó movimientos de avance y retroceso, hacia una mayor descentralización, tales como los pedidos de desconcentración de la responsabilidad en 1981, acciones del Ministerio de Educación que restringían la autoridad y toma de decisiones locales en la década de 1990, y algunos esfuerzos concertados para la delegación y descentralización de la autoridad como así como otras responsabilidades después de 2001. En términos de participación comunitaria, durante este período se hicieron llamamientos a favor y acciones para la implementación de formas más amplias y con mayores grados de implicación de padres, la sociedad civil y las empresas. Nos basamos en los siguientes conceptos para analizar y desarrollar una narrativa de estos cam...

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One aspect of the call for democracy in the recent Arab region uprisings is the issue of women's rights and gender equality. Three cultural and ideological forces have continued to shape the gender discourse in Arab Muslim-majority societies. They are: ''Islamic'' teaching and local traditions concerning women's roles in a given society; Western, European colonial perception of women's rights; and finally national gender-related policy reforms. This paper examines the past and present status of women and gender-educational inequality in the Arab world with particular reference to Egypt and Tunisia, prior to and post colonialism. Special attention is given to colonial legacy and its influence on gender and education; to current gender practices in the social sphere with a focus on women's modesty (hijab); to international policies and national responses with regard to women's rights and finally to female participation in pre-university and higher education. These issues incorporate a discussion of cultural and religious constraints. The paper demonstrates similarities and differences between Egypt's and Tunisia's reform policies towards gender parity. It highlights the confrontation of conservative versus liberal ideologies that occurred in each country with the implementation of its gender-related reform policy.Résumé Héritage colonial, droits des femmes et inégalité des sexes dans l'enseignement au sein du monde arabe, notamment en É gypte et Tunisie -L'un des aspects de la revendication démocratique exprimée lors des récentes révoltes dans le monde arabe porte sur les droits des femmes et l'égalité entre les sexes. Trois influences culturelles et idéologiques continuent à marquer le discours sur l'égalité des sexes dans les sociétés arabes à majorité musulmane : l'enseignement « islamique » et les traditions locales quant aux rôles des femmes dans une société donnée ; la perception occidentale, reposant sur la colonisation européenne, des droits des femmes ; enfin, les réformes des politiques nationales relatives à l'égalité des sexes. Les auteurs de l'article examinent le statut ancien et actuel des femmes ainsi que l'inégalité des sexes dans l'enseignement du monde arabe, en se référant en particulier à l'É gypte et à la Tunisie, et ce avant et après le colonialisme. Ils se penchent notamment sur les aspects suivants : l'héritage colonial et son influence sur l'égalité des sexes dans l'enseignement ; les pratiques actuelles d'égalité des sexes dans la sphère sociale en abordant en particulier la pudeur féminine (hijab) ; les politiques internationales relatives aux droits des femmes et leurs réponses nationales ; enfin, la participation féminine à l'enseignement préuni-versitaire et supérieur. Ces thèmes induisent une discussion sur les contraintes culturelles et religieuses. L'article illustre les similitudes et les différences entre les politiques réformatrices en faveur de la parité des sexes en É gypte et en Tunisie. Il éclaire la confrontation des idéologies conservatrices et libérales, qui survient dans...

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In this paper we outline the history of institutionalizing pre-service teacher education in Egypt, and then examine efforts in the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s to reform faculties of education. We document previous criticisms of and proposed changes in teacher preparation programs, but note that concerted reform efforts occurred only after the Egyptian government in the 1990s focused on improving educational quality, including teacher preparation, and the World Bank and USAID also put the issue pre-service teacher education on their agendas – and committed funds for this purpose. We also describe how the proposed reforms of policy and practice (e.g., improving assessments of entrants and graduates, increasing a focus on practice versus theory in coursework, expanding the amount of time devoted to field experiences, and organizing “induction” programs to support and guide new teachers) reflected global teacher education reform discourses characteristic of the 1990s and 2000s. However, rather than treating globalization as a process without real actors, we trace how these ideas were promoted by many Egyptians and non-Egyptians (e.g., faculty of education staff and Ministry of Higher Education personnel, but also World Bank staff, USAID personnel, and members of the two international organization-funded project teams). In examining the planning and implementation of two internationally funded faculty of education reform projects, we explore the interplay between and among local and global actors and identify individual and organizational factors that enabled or constrained these efforts to achieve significant and sustainable improvements in the quality of pre-service teacher education in Egypt.