Egypt's education minister El-Helaly El-Sherbeeny stated on Monday that maps included in this year's school text books do not specify which country holds sovereignty over the Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir, reported the Ahram Arabic website.
At a press conference held at the ministry, El-Sherbeeny said the maps currently included in the curriculum merely show that the islands are located in the Gulf of Aqaba.
The government decision last April to cede control of the islands to Saudi Arabia has stirred controversy and protests in Egypt over the past months.
Cairo argues that the islands, long under Egyptian control, have in fact been Saudi all along, an argument that has been challenged by critics, who filed lawsuits to stop the transfer.
In June, Egypt's High Administrative Court ruled that the Egyptian-Saudi border demarcation agreement is void, and that the islands are to remain under Egyptian control.
The government is appealing the ruling.
