21-year-old Egyptian student Nouran Awny shares why she wishes her government asked for youth input in recent education reforms.

No two young people around the world are the same. Some of us are introverts who just want to watch movies and only hang out with two specific people. Some of us are the outgoing, partying-till-dawn type. Some really haven’t figured out who they are or where they fit in the world. But one thing that unites almost all young people: We are PETRIFIED of the future.

This previous statement might give a 40-something-year-old whiplash; how could someone with their whole life in front of them be terrified of it? Well, the thing is that even the most detailed, hardworking, in-control young person knows that an ocean sunset is beautiful but they have no idea what lies at the horizon. Heck, we don’t even know what’s in the water!

This is especially true in 2022; with world leaders turning a blind eye to the climate crisis, when many consider mental health a privilege not a human right and so much more.

Many young people are trying to take our futures back by making our voices heard. We want to be the catalysts for change and improvement all across the world. And students can be incredible leaders. Young people on social media initiated the two-week 2011 revolution in my home country of Egypt that overthrew a dictator president and his regime, resulting in one of the biggest victories for our people in the last few decades. Greta Thunberg and Malala Yousafzai have started global movements for climate change and education as teenagers. My generation isn’t sitting around, waiting for adults to try and save the future that we’re inheriting.

But our voices aren’t always welcome at the table. In the last year, there have been a lot of proposed reforms to the Egyptian education system, such as introducing an examination system that uses tablets instead of paper and requires students to write college-style research papers without any training. These new changes will either make or break the futures of so many hardworking Egyptian youths — but were there any student representatives at the meetings that will determine these students’ futures? No. The government expected us to sit by as officials made decisions about our education without even asking for our opinions.

Now these new regulations in our education system are pretty controversial. Some people support them because it is a known fact that the Egyptian education system could always do better. Others think that these changes are mere publicity stunts, only implemented to distract people from the hyperinflation we’re experiencing and a way for the government to be able to say that they did something with taxpayers’ money. If the government had asked for young people’s input in advance, we could’ve expressed how we haven’t been taught enough about technology in schools therefore we need training to help prepare us to use the tablets proposed as part of this new system. We’ve also never been properly taught how to write long, college-level research papers and would therefore need support to familiarize us with this pivotal aspect of the new education system. But such drastic changes without proper preparation and without addressing other failings in the education system would be pointless. For example, schools all over Egypt are heavily underfunded. Students aren’t taught to be creative or clever when it comes to their schoolwork. Egyptian students like me want to know how this new and seemingly more advanced system works and wish they could be more involved in its design.

“Students are the ones in the classroom every day. We’re the ones inheriting our world and its problems. We deserve to have our voices heard in decisions made about our lives and our future.”

— Nouran Awny

I believe governments should be more creative when it comes to listening to young voices. An annual survey across schools, universities and jobs for people below the age of 21 could be both insightful and beneficial for all parties. It would also help start a dialogue between people in positions of power and young people. Having representation for young people in pivotal government meetings such as the ones for education system reform would be incredibly insightful. Young people have great ideas and can identify issues with current systems and processes that older generations can’t. For example, students want to have health classes that discuss topics like sexual education and mental health, which would help younger generations flourish and break unhealthy mental health habits.

Students are the ones in the classroom every day. We’re the ones inheriting our world and its problems. We deserve to have our voices heard in decisions made about our lives and our future.

Nouran Awny

(she/her) is a 21-year-old student from Egypt. She's an advocate for mental health and dreams of starting a nonprofit for mental health in Egypt. She loves musicals and Taylor Swift. You can follow her on Instagram.