Cairo: Jasour – News Desk
Ahmed Rifaat, a journalist, stated that the Egyptian state has provided a lot for the special needs community since 2014, starting with legislation that allowed this group to be represented in Parliament. This ended a long-standing contradiction, explaining: “We used to discuss the problems of various groups without them having representation within the council that legislates laws, but this contradiction ended after 2014 with the presence of representatives for special needs individuals in the House of Representatives.”
Rifaat added, in a media statement, that special needs individuals are now present in various fields such as sports, culture, health, and education. He pointed out that 2023 witnessed the number of special needs schools reaching more than 1,047, and the number of intellectual education schools exceeded 500 last year.
He confirmed that the state provided many benefits for this group, such as pensions, customs and tax exemptions, designated places in transportation, housing, and job opportunities. He added: “The Egyptian people know that the 5% quota is stipulated in all legislations, but it was not previously implemented. Now, however, the provision is being applied in reality.”
The journalist pointed to three main pieces of legislation issued to support special needs individuals: Law No. 10 of 2018, Law No. 11 of 2019, and Law No. 200 of 2020.
He also highlighted President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s Decree No. 157 of 2022, which raised the value of the Special Needs Support Fund to 10 billion Egyptian pounds to meet their needs.
