SCHOLARSHIPS & TRAINING FOR EGYPTIAN PROFESSIONALS

The program aimed to identify qualified candidates throughout Egypt, with a focus on women, through a transparent and fair selection process. The selection criteria included financial need, Egyptian citizenship, commitment to pursuing academic studies and professional careers in STEM fields, and academic performance. The STEP team finalized an outreach and recruitment plan for the STEM and MBA scholarships for women, which included a nine-month Bridge Year at the American University in Cairo (AUC) for high school graduates and college students. The remaining applicants were required to submit a valid TOEFL or ACT score. The outreach process involved meetings with the Ministry of Education, where STEP briefed attendees on the undergraduate scholarships program in STEM fields and sought their guidance and feedback on the proposed newspaper ad and selection criteria. The Ministry of Education provided feedback on the selection criteria, including setting the minimum acceptable general score in Thanawya Amma at 90% as well as an average score in sciences and/or mathematics of 90%. The MOE also extended the application deadline from July 15 to July 20 to correspond with the issuance of the Thanawya Amma results. Additionally, the MOE expressed its desire to participate in the selection process and asked to be updated on the recruitment process. Throughout the outreach and recruitment process, STEP continued to update the MOE on the progress and provided them with opportunities to participate in the selection activities. The STEP team also held a partner kick-off meeting on June 4, 2014, to introduce the management of each partner and highlight roles and responsibilities for each organization. This meeting helped to demonstrate how each partner's scope builds upon or contributes to the other and how each scope fits into the greater implementation plan and is aligned with the program's objectives. The outreach process for the STEM scholarships involved the distribution of 2,000 STEM brochures and 5,000 flyers through AFS and its network organizations throughout the governorates as well as during information sessions. The STEP team also requested security clearance from the MOE's Security Department to visit public schools. The outreach and recruitment efforts resulted in hundreds of qualified candidates applying to both the USAID STEM and MBA scholarships. The STEP team also provided short-term technical assistance (STTA) assignments requested by the USAID Education Technical Office. The STTA assignments were part of the program's efforts to provide technical assistance to the Egyptian education sector. The STEP team worked closely with the USAID Education Technical Office to identify areas where technical assistance was needed and to provide support to the Egyptian education sector. The STEP program's progress was also marked by the successful selection of participants for the USAID STEM and MBA scholarships. The selection process was transparent and fair, with a focus on identifying qualified candidates who met the selection criteria. The STEP team worked closely with the MOE and other partners to ensure that the selection process was fair and transparent. Overall, the STEP program made significant progress in the period from April to September 2014, with a focus on outreach and recruitment efforts for the USAID STEM and MBA scholarships. The program's efforts resulted in hundreds of qualified candidates applying to both scholarships, and the selection process was transparent and fair. The STEP team also provided short-term technical assistance assignments to the USAID Education Technical Office, which was part of the program's efforts to provide technical assistance to the Egyptian education sector.