Improving Technical Education in Egypt: management development, international assistance and cultural values

Abstract

Technical and vocational education in developing countries has expanded rapidly during the last 20 to 30 years, often with the help of international donor agencies. There are now growing doubts about the effectiveness of this investment. As resources have become less plentiful and student numbers have increased, quality has deteriorated. This paper examines one particular aspect of the problem and the way in which, with external support, one particular country, Egypt, has sought to respond to the problem by promoting management development and training for principals of its many technical schools. Based on a survey of attitudes towards certain items of work-related and managerial behaviour by Egyptian and British college principals, it draws attention to the significance of culture difference as a factor affecting successful aid delivery. We conclude that this factor may still be all too frequently overlooked in internationally assisted projects aimed at improving technical and vocational education.