SCE School Partnerships Advance Student English Language Skills Across Egypt
Parents that paid little attention in their English class are likely now all too aware of its value. Politics aside, proficiency of the English language has become one of the most essential employability skills. Certainly, there are many that succeed professionally without English skills. However, for the general public the difference in economic opportunities and access to information is substantial.
Naturally a parent’s inclination is to extend better opportunities for their children. School of Continuing Education (SCE) witnesses this intimately in the English language Skills for Basic, Independent and Advanced Learners program that targets school children. Since 2015, over 18,000 learners in six Egyptian governorates have benefitted from this propelling program. Based on the Common European Framework Point of Reference (CEFR), children from first grade through high school develop their English language skills through edutainment tasks that stimulate their critical thinking.
Over the years, this program has taken further literal and figurative steps than other English language educators in Cairo that have resisted the operational challenges of launching partnerships outside the capital. In the interest of learner convenience and widespread equitable impact, SCE students meet every Saturday in partner schools across Sohag, Assiut, Menya, Alexandria, Banha, and greater Cairo. During the summer and winter holidays, additional classes are offered two to three times per week as they make their way through CEFR’s six main levels.
Edutainment, or education through entertainment, is the central pillar of the learning approach, as students report higher engagement rates while practicing their language skills. Such activities include drama and music, literary analysis of book-based films and the original work, or commentary on a football match. They are also encouraged further through gamification techniques as teachers are trained to utilize mobile games, social media and digital platforms to deliver their lesson.
Schools across Egypt take a particularly bold and telling step by engaging this partnership. An understandably conservative perspective might be concerned about the implicit reflection on the school’s own English language class. Whereas results-oriented leadership acknowledges the value of SCE’s learner-centered supplementary curriculum to help graduate students with advanced English skills, and ultimately better opportunities. Take El Salam Language School in Sohag. Around two years ago, they opened up their gates (and later virtual classrooms) to SCE and over 150 students from all over Sohag. They have just welcomed another incoming batch in June 2021 with 57 new learners. Partnerships like this create real value for everyone involved that is intrinsically tangible.
As parents observe the learning curve bending, they are encouraged to enroll their children to the next level. They are pleased to discover that the course is not simply an orientation for better performance on the English proficiency Cambridge Assessments. Rather, it is a comprehensive course that equips learners with 21st century academic skills, such as delivering presentations, writing critical essays, and reflective journals. The reports are also particularly insightful as they elaborate more on their progress on specific strengths and areas for improvement throughout their journey.
Parents that are interested in enrolling their children in a school near them are invited to contact SCE through email or t. 012.2505.119 for guidance. For parents that are interested who are considering continuing their own education, SCE’s adult English language courses are renowned.