One afternoon at an elementary school on the outskirts of Cairo, first-grade Egyptian students were busy wiping their desks clean and sweeping the floor with brooms under the supervision of teaching staff.

The scene, observed recently by a Japan International Cooperation Agency official, represents one of the class activities in a curriculum based on the Japanese education method that emphasizes moral training and social harmony, in addition to acquiring academic skills.

At more than 40 Japanese-style schools launched in Egypt since 2018 in partnership with the Japanese government, children tidy up their classrooms and common areas, take turns helping the class for the day and have designated times to reflect on how they spend their day, in what experts call a "holistic" approach to schooling.