A male teacher in traditional Islamic dress — dark robe and white skull cap — stands before rows of young boys seated at wooden desks inside an Al-Azhar (الأزهر) affiliated school classroom in Qena, Upper Egypt. The students wear matching blue uniforms and white caps, the standard dress of Al-Azhar religious schools. Al-Azhar institutions represent one of Egypt's oldest and most widespread religious education systems, providing Islamic studies alongside standard curricula across the country.