Youth are the main stakeholder of EEI, given they are the most energetic, largest in number and most growth-driving of the society categories. They are builders of the future and source of pride for our nation; it is for the sake of energizing our educational system that this initiative was launched in light of their aspirations, dreams and needs.

The EEI theme this year calls for mulling over what kind of future we are building for ourselves and the coming generations, while scrutinizing at the same time the long-term consequences of violence insecurity and poverty in the world and environmental degradation in this region. It also encourages us to brush aside whatever disputes we might have and reinforce our collective efforts geared to pave the road for a more inclusive, integrated and stable future.

According the Egyptian outlook for the future, education is the driving force of long-term stability and prosperity of the country.

The EEI, launched in 2006, supported by a strong public-private partnership, aims to accelerate the implementation of an ambitious policy of education reform in the country and to reinforce the impact of long-term efforts to provide quality education for all, using all resources of available information and communication technology.

The progress already scored through the EEI goes beyond the qualitative increase investments made in school infrastructure and various training projects and in expanding scope of communication.

The success of the EEI has helped disseminate a modern educational philosophy and effectively enhanced educational and teaching practices. The initiative effectively made use of information and communication technology as a component that performs an influential role in education, while spurring us at the same time to catch up with the rapid changes taking place in the world. The EEI also helps assure quality of education for all, by further making such technology available to all learners, regardless of gender, economic and social class or age and providing them the skills and equipment they need to cope with the requirements of the 21st Century in terms of qualifications and training. This also enhances the country's economy.

About 2000 educational institutions have benefited from this rich experience that turned them into learner-based environments. The multi-faceted success of the EEI, scored within a short time, can be attributed to several factors, including political will, transparent government system and effective control and assessment.

The role public-private partnership in both the EEI and Egyptian Development Strategy as a whole has been an essential factor of the achievements already made. Through such partnerships, the business community has contributed much to supporting resources, skills and financing, in addition to creating competitiveness. It has also helped find new, innovative and pragmatic solutions to address the complex challenges in the country. Moreover, it helped diffuse more widely the benefits of socio-economic reform, apart from raising awareness of the interdependence between both economic progress and human development.

I would like to pay tribute to the role played by the World Economic Forum "Davos" in promoting the spirit of a great partnership among partners. We can never ignore the main role of the private sector in addressing major development challenges through the Global Citizenship Initiative.

I also pay tribute to the effective role played by the Egyptian Government through its active participation in implementation projects, thus attracting new partners that were interested in undertaking a role in this promising project. I also express my appreciation to the various public-private partnerships that were based on mutual experience to meet obvious public needs.

I would like also to commend the "One Hundred Schools Project, launched in 2006 under the sponsorship of the Heliopolis Foundation, with the private sector, NGOs and individuals participating. Designed to cover 100 public schools, the project invested in the overall refurbishing of schools in poor districts, including schools buildings, equipment and introducing new management techniques to upgrade schools' surrounding environment.

The most important component of this initiative is the training program designed to meet requirements of teachers, school administrative staff and volunteers alike.

Likewise, as regards the EEI, we seized the opportunity to add value to programs by providing schools with needed infrastructure and hooking them up with the Internet.

In this framework, school will be a place where all society members have easy access and wherefrom intellectual quality can be disseminated. I would like to point out that highly effective results have been achieved within a relatively short time. The second phase of the project, targeting 100 schools in Guiza, has been initiated.

There is no doubt that initiative involving committed partners have contributed to enriching youth educational experience and to promoting constructive basic skills with the objective of providing better employment opportunities.

Over the two coming months, the EEI intends to conduct a thorough analysis of the current situation and push forward its own strategy with new techniques that can empower the education system to cope up with local, regional and international labor market needs. In the same time, the EEI will continue to expand its experience. Lessons learned and application norms, in a bid to support development efforts by other countries and to contribute to the enhancement of educations all over the world.

The EEI continues to score sustainable and tangible results.

I would like to stress the need to examine all aspects of education and how compatible it is with school principals, teachers, university teaching staff and students to provide a better future.

It is important to think farther beyond the scope of individual projects and initiative, beyond geographical border and nationalities and beyond static and conventional dogmas. We do need to remind ourselves that we are building a cosmic generation in a world that is characteristic of rather than an exception of change.

We welcome an open forum for the exchange of opinions and experience with similar education initiative in all parts of the world. We want to ensure that our younger generation are constantly carving out for knowledge and are not afraid of forgetting and relearning. We want to continue investing in robust technology in order to overcome isolation and to encourage opportunities of exchanged and active learning.

By so doing, I believe we will come closer to creating a real future. Specific education is a human right for all.