# Moving to El Gouna



## ghada_h

Hi everybody

My husband & I are considering moving to El Gouna. We have a 15 yr old boy and a 9 yr old girl. We live in Canada but we're originally from Egypt. We've been living in Canada since 2001. We were wondering if there are good schools in El Gouna and if there are places where the kids can do extra curriculum activities like dancing or playing basketball. These things are very important for my kids and I really wanna know what our option are before moving forward. Your help is very much appreciated.
Thanks


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## hurghadapat

ghada_h said:


> Hi everybody
> 
> My husband & I are considering moving to El Gouna. We have a 15 yr old boy and a 9 yr old girl. We live in Canada but we're originally from Egypt. We've been living in Canada since 2001. We were wondering if there are good schools in El Gouna and if there are places where the kids can do extra curriculum activities like dancing or playing basketball. These things are very important for my kids and I really wanna know what our option are before moving forward. Your help is very much appreciated.
> Thanks



Hi and welcome to the forum.....El Gouna has best in the area the national and the international school.One of our members lives in El Gouna and i'm sure as soon as she comes on she will be able to answer all of your questions.


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## Gounie

I have lived in El Gouna nearly ten years. I don't have children but all the reports about the school are very good. Here is their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/elgounaschool?fref=ts

Not sure which teachers are still in El Gouna for the new school year starting in September but I know before the kids all had golf lessons at El Gouna golf course, sailing lessons at Sail La Vie, after school basketball with one of the teachers who was a National League 1 player, volleyball with another national league player from Germany/England, squash, zumba, mountain biking, scuba diving, football, etc. etc.

This was a video of a trip the kids did earlier this year with HEPCA (Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Agency) to learn about becoming scientists:






Many nationalities have been advised against travel to Egypt so occupancy predictions for the hotels in El Gouna in the coming months are very low. Businesses are going to suffer badly. As far as I can tell these nationalities that live here year round who have been advised by their foreign office against travel are not leaving. El Gouna has been very busy recently with visitors from Cairo escaping the curfews and a real party atmosphere. 

This is a good article in the paper yesterday:
Sunny and empty streets - Daily News Egypt


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## cutiepie

I was a teacher in El Gouna international and still have friends working there. I know they would agree with me in advising do not bring your children here if you value their education. Unfortunately the school has continued to deteriorate , leaving teachers are not being replaced so at the moment in Secondary there is no qualified I.T, biology, humanities, Maths, economics (there is a teacher but not qualified) and English ....
In Primary they have no primary head teacher and I know of two teachers not returning.the music teacher is gone and the art teacher is leaving before Christmas. The school has delayed opening until the 15th due to staffing issue they have said its due to safety but this is just a cover for the parents.
It is a shame as el Gouna is a beautiful place and I think a great environment to raise kids , just a shame the school has been destroyed.


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## Gounie

cutiepie said:


> The school has delayed opening until the 15th due to staffing issue they have said its due to safety but this is just a cover for the parents.


No this is for every International school in Egypt due to the State of Emergency.


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## ghada_h

Thanks for the info everyone. I hope things get better soon!


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## cutiepie

Yes that is the official story to the parents but it has nothing to do with safety. We stayed open all through the revolution and every other upheaval after. They have never complied with any government advise before, again saying they have their own rules as they are a private town. The whole thing was that el Gouna is safe it is not like other parts of Egypt. You yourself are constantly posting how wonderful it is and how unaffected by everything you are. It is just convenient to use that cover at present


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## MaidenScotland

Gounie said:


> No this is for every International school in Egypt due to the State of Emergency.




Don't know where you got this...my friend who is a nurse at an international school is back at work, another who is a teacher at an international nursery .. school starts on Tuesday.


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## Gounie

MaidenScotland said:


> Don't know where you got this...my friend who is a nurse at an international school is back at work, another who is a teacher at an international nursery .. school starts on Tuesday.


I read it somewhere on forums and Facebook. An announcement from the Ministry of Education. Their website is all in Arabic so I can't check. AKTeacher is currently in El Gouna and was due to start at a private international school this week in Cairo. I told her to check the opening hasn't been delayed and her school were saying it is opening as normal then at the last minute they said they have to delay opening and have extended her stay here. It sounds like a big confusion.


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## MaidenScotland

Gounie said:


> I read it somewhere on forums and Facebook. An announcement from the Ministry of Education. Their website is all in Arabic so I can't check. AKTeacher is currently in El Gouna and was due to start at a private international school this week in Cairo. I told her to check the opening hasn't been delayed and her school were saying it is opening as normal then at the last minute they said they have to delay opening and have extended her stay here. It sounds like a big confusion.




Just spoken with my friend... school is open with half the students attending but the list shows the others are not expected back until the 1st. 

Nursery school.. 4 families not coming back, but 1 new family.


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## Gounie

Think I must have read something like this from 24th July, but definately read somewhere delay was until 15th September:
School year may be delayed in Egypt
_Egypt’s Education Minister Mahmoud Abu al-Nasr said on Tuesday that the ministry is currently studying the possibility of delaying the school year, which was initially set to begin on September 7. 

Abu al-Nasr told Al-Ahram newspaper that the delay may occur due to the need for further preparations, such as guaranteeing text books for all students.

He pointed out that he has discussed with his administration the importance of the maintenance of education facilities. _


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## MaidenScotland

Gounie said:


> Think I must have read something like this from 24th July, but definately read somewhere delay was until 15th September:
> School year may be delayed in Egypt
> _Egypt’s Education Minister Mahmoud Abu al-Nasr said on Tuesday that the ministry is currently studying the possibility of delaying the school year, which was initially set to begin on September 7.
> 
> Abu al-Nasr told Al-Ahram newspaper that the delay may occur due to the need for further preparations, such as guaranteeing text books for all students.
> 
> He pointed out that he has discussed with his administration the importance of the maintenance of education facilities. _




May..

plus that is not the international schools..


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## Gounie

24th August the Minister of Education assigned a decree for international schools' opening on Sept. 14th, 2013. 

From the British School in Cairo website:
Dear Parents,



Please note that after an MOE post-ponement, BSC will open a week later, 15th September for years 1-9,

18th Semptember for FS/KG and 21st September for IG.



Thank You


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## cutiepie

As I said already and as you have pointed out with the constant posts with how wonderful and safe el Gouna is, safety is not a concern in El Gouna. There is no curfew in place, which is why the ministry issued the delay in opening schools. It was a recommendation and as I said EGIS has always been insistent that these rules do not apply to them and continuously defied all orders before to close we never closed one day of the revolution in fact we took in a load of children from wealthy families in Cairo as el Gouna was so "safe". Why if the area is as safe as you say it is and I know it is would they choose to delay opening for "safety" . All is not as perfect as it seems in Gouna.
Regardless of the reason for the schools late opening (I have no doubt they will find locals etc to fill the spots) it is no longer a school I could honestly recommend to a parent. The area as I said is a beautiful and safe environment to raise kids in with lots of diff activities to take part in.


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## Lanason

I know for sure that Cairo international schools are not allowed to open until 14th by ministry order.


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## cutiepie

Yes most schools in cities that are under curfew are obeying the delayed opening schedule. We are not opening in Alex until the 15th although staff start this Sunday.I know Shutz American school is opening on schedule , think it already has (as has a number of other schools). Some obey the rules others do not. I just know El Gouna has no reason not to open (gov advised or not) due to safety concerns.


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## akteacher

Lucky!!


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## GM1

Please consider this, before moving: your son is 15 years old, he will attend which year? And after that? EGIS is only untill year 12, there is no university in the area to go to after finishing school. What are your plans on this?

I don't know anything about educational standards of EGIS at the moment.


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## windsong

At 15 I belive your son would be in year 9 or 10.After year 12 I would think he could go elsewhere to study.A good friend of mine back in the States,son went to study in Italy after high school...Good-Luck.


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