USAID funded ERP announces the opening of the LE12m Princess Neemat Palace School complex

The Princess Neemat Palace Schools are completely funded by USAID, and are a long awaited solution for the residents of Al Marg. The introduction of Egypt's largest school complex will now allow residents much needed access to high quality education facilities and help students realize their full potential.

The Princess Neemat School complex cost in excess of LE12m to construct, and is the result of an unprecedented level of cooperation between the ERP, the Egyptian government, and most importantly the community of Al Marg who actively participated in the selection of the location of the campus. The complex is comprised of a preparatory school for boys, a secondary school for boys, and a secondary school for girls with a capacity of 4,600 students.

A further 3 primary schools are planned within the complex for the near future bringing the total capacity to 8,600. The ERP hasn't stopped there. The program administrators have also ensured there is sufficient space exercise and recreational facilities for the students, and have also provided teachers for the campuses who have undergone high quality professional development training supplied by the ERP Education Quality Improvement Program.

Furthermore, the project was greatly received by the media locally and around the region, where top circulated pan-Arab publications, such as Al Benaa Al Arabi highly praised the project and named it amongst the top development projects in the region in 2007, along with the Children's Cancer Hospital and the renovation of the Cairo University Library. The publication stated that "The ERP program has five main objectives to develop schools in Egypt: 1) improving the educational infrastructure, 2) encouraging community participation, 3) insuring decentralization, 4) supporting institutional capabilities, and 5) improving school facilities. These objectives attempt to make these schools a prime example for all educational facilities in the country and that is why these opted for a practical design not only to facilitate the teaching and learning processes, but also to provide training for teachers and administrators and the entire community will benefit from the new facilities."

The General Manager for the Marg Educational Administration (Idarra), Ms. Farida Farahat, said:

"We are delighted to be opening these 3 campuses at the Princess Neemat School complex, this is a huge success. We have already inaugurated 3 other schools prior to these new additions, but the new facilities have solved a key problem for the residents of West Al Marg who have till now had very limited access to education."

She added: "The project is a milestone for all the organizations involved showing that a cooperative relationship between the school, students, and the community can be forged with the aim of helping students reach their full potential and the highest academic achievements."

The inauguration of the Princess Neemat Palace School took place on 9th July 2008 and will be attended by Dr. Abdel Azim Wazir (Governor of Cairo) Ms. Farida Farahat (the General Manager for the Marg Educational Administration [Idarra]), and Hilda Arellano (USAID Mission Director).

For Al Marg, this is seen as a move towards a brighter future for the children of the district; for Egypt, this is a grand stride towards the development of the nation's vibrant forthcoming labor force. This project is a testament to the adage that incremental change is stable and permanent change: one school at a time will ultimately foster a better world.