Safeguarding in international schools in Egypt: a DSL guide

The Ministry of Education and Technical Education supervises schools in Egypt. In a July 2026 directive, it said it holds core authority over all pre-university education. The same directive covers international schools, which it calls schools with curricula of a special nature.

Accreditors add a second layer and do not replace the Ministry. Cairo school websites list accreditation from the Council of International Schools (CIS), the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and the Middle States Association (MSA). Some schools also teach the International Baccalaureate (IB).

This guide could not confirm Council of British International Schools (COBIS) membership or British Schools Overseas (BSO) inspection in Egypt. If your school holds either, add its rules to your policy.

The Constitution defines a child as anyone under 18. Article 80 says the state must protect children from violence, abuse and mistreatment. The main statute is the Child Law, No. 12 of 1996.

The 2008 amendment (Law No. 126 of 2008) defines when a child is at risk. Article 96 includes neglect, abuse, violence or exploitation, and cases where upbringing in the family, the school or a care institution is likely to expose a child to danger. The law names the school as a possible setting of risk.

Articles 97 to 99 set up child protection committees. A general committee in each governorate is led by the governor, and sub-committees in each police district take complaints and work to remove the cause. The 2008 text also provides for a child helpline department in the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood.

The law changed again after 2008. The State Information Service summary of child rights work lists Law No. 186 of 2023 as an amendment. It says Law No. 189 of 2020 added bullying penalties to the Penal Code.

This guide read the 2008 Official Gazette text in Arabic. It is general information, not legal advice, so ask local counsel and the relevant authority to confirm the current wording.

This guide found no rule that names teachers or schools as mandatory reporters. The Child Law articles read set up committees that take complaints and a helpline that takes reports, and they do not say that school staff must report. Mandatory reporting laws for international schools compares other countries.

General criminal procedure rules on reporting crimes may also apply. Egypt's new Criminal Procedure Code, Law No. 174 of 2025, was due to start on 1 October 2026. The House of Representatives gave final approval to a one-year delay on 30 September 2026.

Ask counsel which code covers a report today, and whether it reaches private school staff. In 2024 the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child asked Egypt to ease reporting of violence against children. It also asked for more awareness of child sexual abuse among professionals.

Set one internal rule. Every concern goes to the DSL the same day. The DSL, the Head and counsel then decide on an outside report, and the school records who decided and when.

If a child is in immediate danger, call local emergency services, then tell your DSL. This guide could not confirm the emergency number from an Egyptian primary source. Ask your security lead and the local police station, then print the number on your reporting route.

For advice and reports, call the child helpline on 16000. The National Council for Childhood and Motherhood runs it, and Child Helpline International lists it as open 24 hours a day in Arabic. In an April 2026 report, the Council said callers get free legal and psychological advice, and that the line handles online risks such as bullying and blackmail.

The same report names the Public Prosecution's child protection office as a partner, along with child protection units in the governorates. The committees described above also take complaints. Ask counsel which route fits a case, and remember that calling 16000 for advice does not replace your school procedure.

The line works in Arabic, so plan who on your team makes the call. Add the name and phone number of an Arabic speaker to your reporting route.

Accreditation standards built on the International Task Force on Child Protection (ITFCP) expect staff to pass on any concern early. Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) does the same for schools in England. It has no legal force in Egypt.

Egyptian law speaks of a child at risk and lists many situations. Staff cannot judge that alone. Ask them to report what they saw or heard, and let the DSL and counsel decide how the law applies.

Egyptian law also treats the school as a possible source of risk. Article 96 names the school beside the family and care institutions. Write that into your allegations procedure, and ask counsel who must be told when a member of staff is involved.

Egypt's data protection law is Law No. 151 of 2020. It covers personal data processed electronically in whole or in part. Article 1 says data relating to children is always sensitive personal data.

Article 12 bars collecting, storing or processing sensitive data without a licence from the Personal Data Protection Center. It also asks for explicit written consent, and for children the legal guardian's consent. Ask counsel whether your school needs a licence.

Article 14 allows transfer to another country only if its protection level meets the law's standard, with a licence or permit from the Center. Article 15 lists exceptions with explicit consent, such as medical care or legal claims. The text read has no rule that data must stay in Egypt, but a supplier abroad still needs this check.

Article 7 asks for notice to the Center within 72 hours of a breach. Article 8 asks an organisation to appoint a data protection officer. The issuing text leaves out data tied to judicial records, investigations and lawsuits, so ask counsel how that applies once a file goes to a prosecutor.

This guide read an unofficial English translation. The law told the Minister to issue executive regulations within six months, and gave one year after that to comply. This guide could not confirm the current status of those regulations.

Official texts and the helpline work in Arabic. Drivers, security officers, cleaners and nurses often see a child before a teacher does. Write the reporting route in the languages your staff read, and have the DSL check that every group can follow it.

At a July 2026 meeting with school owners, the Minister stressed Arabic, religious education and social studies as national identity subjects. He also said school events should fit Egyptian culture and values. Check body safety and relationships lessons with your Head and counsel before you use them.

Corporal punishment needs a plain rule, because the Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children found no explicit legal ban in schools as of June 2024. In 2024 the United Nations Committee urged Egypt to ban it by law, including in schools. Ban it in your own policy for every adult, contractors included.

For hiring, guidance from the United Kingdom government lists the Egyptian criminal status record from the Ministry of Interior. People in Egypt apply at a local police station. People abroad apply through an Egyptian embassy or consulate, with fingerprints.

The guidance gives 6 to 8 weeks for the London route. A local record covers Egypt only, so ask for checks from every country a candidate has lived in, as set out in safer recruitment for international schools.

These steps fit a first month. Each one takes a short meeting or one email.

Laws change. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Confirm anything here with local counsel and the relevant authority before you rely on it.

• Ask the Head which accreditations the school holds and which Ministry rules apply to it.
• Write one reporting route that names the DSL, the deputy, 16000 and your emergency number.
• Ask counsel who may or must report a concern to the authorities, and who decides.
• Add a rule that every concern reaches the DSL the same day, in any language.
• Ask counsel whether your safeguarding records need a Personal Data Protection Center licence.
• Ban corporal punishment in writing for staff and contractors.
• Ask for criminal status records plus checks from every other country a candidate has lived in.