Egypt's National Education Debate

This study examines the vigorous dialectic presently occurring between intellectuals, religious leaders and politicians trying to define the appropriate role of Islam in education in Egypt. The study highlights the ideological disjunction between a small but powerful élite who are the 'gatekeepers' of education policy and a polity that is calling for a greater infusion of Islamic instruction in the national education system. This study illustrates the challenges of Egypt's policy-makers in sustaining an education system with goals that are interpreted by many to be inconsistent, contradictory or counter to the collective socio-religious prerogatives of the society at large.