President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi has asked government officials to open talks with the World Bank to increase the loan to fund education reform from USD500mn to USD1bn. Investment Minister Sahar Nasr is set to sign the agreement with the World Bank on 20 April. This comes after the Cabinet signed off last week on a five-year reform plan that should abolish the current high school education system and scrap curricula and test methods that emphasise rote memorisation. The new system will be implemented as of September for kindergarten and students in the first years of primary and secondary education. The total estimated cost for the overhaul of the education system stands at USD2bn.