History of Canadian International School of Egypt

School History and Profile

The Canadian International School of Egypt (CISE) opened its doors on September 15, 2002.  It is the first Canadian school certified by the Ministry of Education of Ontario in Egypt and the Middle East.  The Egyptian initiators of this project chose the Province of Ontario, Canada’s most populated province, to provide the curriculum and most of the teaching staff for the school.

CISE is located in New Greater Cairo (Katameya) at El Tagamoa El Khames, 4th District, Zone # 6.  The school is within 40 minutes of Maadi, Heliopolis and Nasr City.  The facility is an enclosed area of approximately 25,000 square metres, located in a quiet area conducive to the learning process. 

The focus of the instructional programme includes literacy, numeracy, science and technology.  The physical, emotional, social and meta-cognitive development of students is a key aspect of our balanced program.  CISE is designed to support students who wish to pursue an academic program. It does not have the resources to provide substantial support for exceptional learners.  Within this context however, accommodations are made for English as a Second Language needs.

The School is supported in Canada by the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE).  CBIE is an organization whose membership is made up of over 200 Universities, Colleges and District School Boards in Canada.  It provides expertise in the modifications and additions to the facility to ensure that CISE is a world-class school. CBIE assisted in the initial recruitment of the school’s administrative and teaching staff.

The CISE teaching staff is comprised of Canadian teachers, trained and experienced in delivering the education program of the Province of Ontario and utilizing the best proven Canadian and International pedagogy.  The Arabic and Religion programs are taught by highly qualified and experienced Egyptian teachers.

The school is entering its ninth year of operation as a Pre-Kindergarten to Grade Twelve school.  Our fifth secondary school graduation took place at the end of last June. All of our graduates have gone on to study in tier one universities in Egypt, Canada and Europe.

The academic program meets the requirements of the Ontario Ministry of Education and is delivered in keeping with Ontario Ministry of Education guidelines. Its approved status can be viewed at www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/list/oversea.html. Support materials are purchased through the Canadian Bureau for International Education from sources in Canada or by the school from sources in Egypt. 

English is the language of instruction. Arabic, Religion and Social Studies are taught as requirements, from Junior Kindergarten to the end of Grade Twelve.  French is taught as a second language from Junior Kindergarten to the end of Grade Nine as well. It becomes an option for the rest of the student’s high school years.

CISE offers the only French Immersion Program currently available in Egypt. This optional instructional program provides participating students with substantially more instruction in French than they would otherwise receive. Science and music are taught in English as is, of course, the language arts program. All other core subjects are taught in French. Entry into the program occurs at the Grade One level.

CISE is a fully integrated, multicultural school open to any student who meets the entrance requirements. Our student population is approximately 85% Egyptian with students from several other countries including Zambia, Finland, Canada, U.S., Mozambique, Zimbabwe, China and Korea as a partial list.