CAIRO: About 25 million children began the new academic year at 60,000 schools across Egypt on Sunday. Many sites were bedecked with balloons and decorations in line with a directive issued by Education Minister Reda Hegazy to ensure youngsters received a warm welcome on their first day back at school. Hegazy joined Cairo Gov. Khaled Abdel Aal for the opening day at Al-Sayeda Nafisa Secondary School for Girls in Cairo, which is home to 603 pupils. The officials expressed their best wishes to the students, teachers and staff for the year ahead. Hegazy said the Education Ministry was committed to the development of schools and was taking all measures to benefit students. These included the creation of question banks that children would be able to access to help them with their studies. Abdel Aal said Cairo was home to 5,813 schools serving 2.5 million children of all ages — more than anywhere else in the country — and that operations were running smoothly across the city. Thirty-eight new schools had opened this year, he added. The new school year runs until June 8, 2024.