Egypt’s higher education and scientific research budget for the fiscal year 2025/26 has more than doubled to EGP 135 billion, marking a 109% increase over the current year’s allocation, according to Minister Mohamed Ayman Ashour.
The announcement came on Monday during a parliamentary session of the Education and Scientific Research Committee, which reviewed the draft budget. Ashour said the education sector will receive EGP 128 billion, while scientific research is allocated EGP 7 billion.
“This unprecedented increase reflects the state's commitment to strengthening education and research as pillars of comprehensive development,” Ashour said. He noted that public universities also contribute up to 30% in self-generated funding to support research and projects.
Ashour outlined the geographic distribution of the funds, saying Greater Cairo would receive 41% of higher education spending and 16% of allocations for university hospitals. Upper Egypt will receive 20% of higher education funds and 25% of the health sector’s allocations.
“These figures reflect the government’s drive toward geographic equity and supporting underserved regions,” he said. “This allocation supports our people in Upper Egypt.”
Highlighting the sector’s growth, Ashour said the number of universities in Egypt rose from 50 in 2014 to 120 by 2025. The current roster includes 28 public universities, 37 private, 20 nonprofit, and 14 technological universities. He described the expansion as “an extraordinary achievement that reflects the modernization of Egypt’s educational infrastructure.”
Egypt’s constitution requires the state to spend at least 10% of GDP on education, health, and scientific research combined. While the government has claimed compliance, human rights groups argue that official figures are inflated. They cite President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s admission that constitutional targets have not been met.
A research paper by the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) reported a decline in spending as a percentage of GDP in the current fiscal year: 1.72% for basic education, down from 1.94%, and 1.17% for health, down from 1.24%.
