The social fabric of the Egyptian society can hardly be described today as coherent because of the noticeable rifts, which are widening between different societal strata.
The danger lies in that the cultural features and the mindset of each category are gradually moving apart from one another.
The result, which will be felt on the ground within a short while, would be having estranged communities within the same society.
In fact, education and housing are the two factors that are accentuating such qualitative differences. The education system today is a multi-orientated one in the sense that public education, which was once the pride of its patrons, is today looked down upon as substandard in terms of quality and social milieu.
So, generally speaking, those who can afford to allow better schooling for their children seek private schools, which again provide a variety of systems.
These include Egyptian containing syllabi with some subjects taught in foreign languages, British and American education systems, which naturally reflect on the character, mentality and sense of belonging of their students.
Moreover, the housing pattern, which today seems much more appealing to the wealthy class and is luring more and more members of the upper middle class is that of gated communities, also known as compounds.
So individuals, with foreign education background aspiring to posh housing offering seclusion, will in no time be totally detached from the mainstream of society. It is as if a certain category is willingly seeking ‘migration’ from the bulk of society.
A cultural clash is, however, expected sooner or later in Egypt, should the current education and housing policies of this country be maintained.
