LEGISLATION WATCH- Gov’t drafts law to set up vocational schools accreditation authority: The education, manpower, and planning ministries have finished drawing up a draft law that would establish a government body to accredit institutions offering technical learning and training programs, and ensure they meet educational standards, cabinet said in a statement. The new authority would formulate a plan to improve schools and academies, applying German standards, Education Minister Tarek Shawki said. The authority would also develop accreditation policies for both government schools and private institutions, and focus on setting up new schools in collaboration with the private sector as part of a larger strategy to develop the vocational training sector in Egypt, spanning through 2030, Deputy Education Minister Mohamed Megahed told us earlier this month.

Currently, the ministry is responsible for accreditation in both technical and traditional schools through the National Authority for Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Education (Naqaae). The proposed authority would fulfil Naqaae’s role for vocational education, according to Megahed. It would be set up as a body independent of the ministry, with a separate budget and reporting directly to the cabinet, he said. The authority is targeting handing out accreditation to 2.5k schools after it’s up and running, significantly increasing the number of schools with accreditation certificates from 35 currently, Megahed told us yesterday.

Where things stand on the law: The bill should be reviewed and approved in an upcoming cabinet meeting, but had already received an early nod from ministers, Megahed previously told us. It would then be expected to be on the House’s agenda when MPs reconvene in October and should be voted into law by January 2021, he said.