Cairo, March 24, 2015

Grassroots Assistance

Japan Supports Improving Governmental Schools
　

On Sunday March 22nd 2015, Mr. Takehiro Kagawa, Ambassador of Japan to Egypt, and Mr. Ibrahim Abdel Rady, Chairperson of the Association of Popular Participation for the Development of Society, signed a grant assistance contract for Japanese Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots and Human Security Projects.

The grant of US$ 75,294 is extended by the Government of Japan for the purpose of contributing to improving the educational environment at Zein Abedeen primary school in Sayeda Zeinab district through renewal of classrooms, schoolyard, as well as the systems of water, sanitation and electricity network. This project addresses one of the most important issues in public education in Egypt, in which most public schools suffer from inadequate maintenance of their educational buildings due to lack of financial resources.

The importance and innovativeness of this project lie in that it is not only limited to the school facility renovation but also aims to establish an autonomous body within the school comprised of parents and teachers which aims at advocating the students on the importance of maintaining their own school clean and neat and to implement a school cleaning program by the students themselves. During the ceremony, the Ambassador stated that the Japanese schools give the utmost importance on educating students on public morality, self-reliance, teamwork and environmental awareness through desirable group activities including the cleaning of their classrooms, and commended this project for encouraging the school community to build up better educational environment for their own children. He further expressed his wishes that this initiative becomes a successful model through utilizing Japan’s experience in this field.

This grant is extended under the Japanese Government’s Assistance Scheme for Grassroots and Human Security Projects, which gives support to non-profitable organizations and NGOs in fields such as health, social care, education, environment and vocational training. This scheme was launched in Egypt in 1994, and around 150 projects have been implemented to date, totaling about US$ 7 million.