11
“The Effects of the Land Tenure Law no. 96/1992 on the Education Conditions in Rural Egypt”.
This is the title of the 11th issue of the “Land & Farmer” series. It discusses the effects of the law no. 96/1992 on the conditions of education in rural Egypt, applied on three villages in different provinces - Beni Suif, Dakahleya & Giza.
First, the report gives a general outlook on the state of education in Egypt, and especially in Rural Egypt, through some figures and statistics:
Þ In 1997, the state spent 12.5% of its total expenditures on education; yet, the rate of illiteracy represented 50% of the total population that year. 58% of this percentage was located in rural Egypt alone.
Þ The rate of sneakers from education reached 71.4% in the primary stage and 8.5% in the preparatory stage. Half of this percentage is in rural Egypt alone.
This high rate of sneakers is returned to the failure of the educational system and to the poor economic conditions.
The study then describes the educational status in its three model villages according to the official statistics.
First: in Ghayada village, Beni Suif province:
Þ The rate of illiteracy in Ghayada village is 41.3%.
Þ The rate of illiteracy of women is 60% of the previous rate.
N. B.: The field study observations stated that:
§ The rate of illiteracy exceeds 70%, not 41.3 as stated officially.
§ The means of transportation are absent.
§ There are only two primary schools, one preparatory, four classes in each school and no secondary schools at all.
§ The Higher education there is limited to 50 persons out of 5507 people that live in this village.
§ The Intermediate education is limited to 400 persons.
Second: in Gizzaya village, Giza province:
§ According to the official statistics, illiteracy rate is 47.5%, while the field study observations state that it reached 70%.
§ The educated people do not exceed 25%, 0.6% of them were high educated and 24.4% obtained intermediate and sub intermediate education.
§ There are only three schools in the whole village whose population reaches 12964 persons. If a student wishes to go to a secondary school, he has to got to the neighbor village “El Manashy” which is 15 kms. far from Gizzaya, the thing that is both exhausting and expensive for the poor villagers to bear.
Third: The village of Kafr Daoud, Dakahleya province:
§ Illiteracy rate in general is 32.4%.
§ Illiteracy rate of women is 51.8% of the previous percentage.
§ There is only one primary school in the whole village.
§ There are no governmental or service authorities at all.
Then the study links between this deteriorating educational circumstances and the application of the land law no. 96/92 through the following figures:
§ In the scholar year 96/97, the number of students who sneaked from education in these villages was 11.9%
§ The following year 97/98, (i.e. the year of applying that law), this rate reached 15.4%.
§ In 98/99, it reached 21.5%.
This is enough evidence to show that the deteriorating conditions of education is so much linked with the application of the land law. The point is that 40% of the families had supporters (tenants) and 24% more were supported by temporary agrarian laborers. A shift in these rates occurred after that law. Temporary agrarian laborers supported 40% of the families, while 8% were supported by tenants!!
The report concludes in a few recommendations to develop that very deteriorating state and to avoid the negative effects of that law. They can be summed up as follows:
§ Objective & precise statistics help to outline the real dimensions of any problem.
§ Genuine governmental and national efforts should be exerted to set strategic plans that may put an end to the reaction and ignorance that are prevailing in rural Egypt.
§ Developing the educational system.
§ Improving the economic conditions of the rural people to help them afford educating their children.
LCHR addressed these recommendations to all the concerned authorities to fulfil the human rights of the rural people in our country in accordance with the human rights stated in the constitution and the international covenants.