TOKYO -- Education company Sprix has been developing a learning management system for public schools in Egypt as overseas interest in Japanese education models grows.

Mohamed Abdel Latif, Egypt's education and technical education minister, was in Japan in early August to sign a memorandum of understanding with Sprix, saying the company is cooperating in the development of an education system for elementary, junior and senior high schools, and in writing textbooks. "Egypt needs Japan's attentive education," Abdel Latif said.

Sprix is not alone in benefiting from Japan's reputation for high academic achievement, which is receiving even more attention now that artificial intelligence is producing the need for stronger math and science skills.

In September, the company began providing math and science textbooks to elementary schools and physics and chemistry textbooks to high schools across Egypt. It also offers textbooks on subjects including AI programming and financial literacy, along with systems to support learning environments such as games for self-study.

Mohamed Abdel Latif says Sprix's textbooks "have already proven effective, even on an experimental basis, and have been highly appreciated by teachers" in Egypt.

Sprix's textbooks, which match Egypt's education system and learning environments, "have already proven effective," Abdel Latif said, "even on an experimental basis, and have been highly appreciated by teachers." The deal between Sprix and the Egyptian government traces back to 2022, when the company released its proprietary Test of Fundamental Academic Skills (TOFAS) in Egypt.

The online assessment evaluates core academic abilities like math and English. It also enables international comparisons of student performance and is praised for its detailed analysis of students' weak subjects.

The TOFAS platform operates in 55 countries and regions, and its global user base exceeds 15 million. While the test is free to take, Sprix earns revenue by selling teaching materials and academic transcripts, among other services. Down the road, the company will focus its marketing strategy on Middle Eastern and African countries.

President Hiroyuki Tsuneishi says Sprix hopes to offer its TOFAS assessments "in more than 100 countries in 10 years and have 100 million or more test takers."

"We hope to be offering the service in more than 100 countries in 10 years and have 100 million or more TOFAS takers," Sprix President Hiroyuki Tsuneishi said. "Using our expertise in assessing fundamental academic skills, we will contribute to an improvement in the quality of public education as well." Sprix has a chain of tutoring schools called Morijuku, whose private lessons attract elementary to high-school students who have fallen behind in their studies. Tuition is returned if students' test scores do not improve. Sprix now plans to leverage its Morijuku-honed teaching methods as it expands overseas.

To use AI effectively, people need a humanities and social sciences background that enables them to evaluate the answers they receive, along with enough science and math knowledge to understand the technology they are using.

Casio Computer is another Japanese company moving into the overseas education space. In cooperation with government agencies in countries where scientific calculators are used less, it is trying to increase their use in schools.

Casio is developing educational materials and training programs that use scientific calculators in Egypt. (Casio) The precision instrument maker is developing educational materials and training programs that use scientific calculators. Over the past year, about 100 trainers conducted programs for more than 5,200 math teachers at public schools in Egypt. This is helping to expand the company's calculator exports. The project is being backed by a Japanese government initiative to promote education exports.

Osaka-based Kumon Institute of Education, which operates after-school learning centers overseas, is also promoting cooperation with schools to teach core subjects like math and English to 3.35 million students in some 60 countries and regions. Earlier this year, it launched tablet-based math learning in schools in Ghana, and the program has shown quantitative improvements in children's academic and noncognitive abilities.

Japanese-style learning programs are drawing attention from emerging countries because of the country's high education levels. In 2025, a test of 15-year-old students by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ranked Japan first among the 38 OECD member countries in reading, math and science. Japan maintains high levels in humanities and sciences while average scores in other OECD members are declining. In addition, the number of Japanese students with low scores is especially small.

"Japanese-style learning provides a certain level of education to a wide range of children," said Hirofumi Nishida, a visiting professor at Otemon Gakuin University. "It can also readily standardize education and foster teachers. The global expansion of Japanese-style education "can contribute to local economic development and social stability."