11/01/2023

Minister of Higher Education discussed with his Somali counterpart ways of joint cooperation

Prof. Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, welcomed Dr. Farah Sheikh Abdul Qadir, Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education of the Federal Republic of Somalia, and his accompanying delegation, in the presence of Ambassador Elias Sheikh Omar Abu Bakr, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Somalia in Cairo, Permanent Representative to the League of Arab States, and Prof. Ashraf Al-Azazy, Head of the Cultural Affairs and Missions Sector, at the Ministry's premises.

At the beginning of the meeting, Prof. Ayman Ashour stressed the depth of the relations between Egypt and Somalia, especially in the fields of higher education and scientific research, pointing to the Ministry's keenness to develop and consolidate these relations.

The minister added that the mechanisms of cooperation between the two countries in the educational and cultural fields were discussed, especially the conditions of Somali students studying in Egyptian universities, and overcoming all the difficulties they face, by providing all aspects of support and facilities required for Somali scholars in Egypt, and the speedy completion of the necessary procedures to help them to study regularly.

Prof. Ayman Ashour also referred to the executive program signed between the two countries, which aims to enhance joint cooperation in the scientific and educational fields related to universities and higher education institutions in both countries, and the exchange of experts and experiences in the scientific, technical and administrative fields between higher education institutions, universities and research centers.

Prof. Ayman Ashour shed light on the Egyptian higher education system, which includes 27 state universities, 27 private universities, 20 public universities, 10 technological universities, and 6 branches of international universities, in addition to providing educational services to more than 3.6 million students, indicating that state, private and public universities provide modern study programs with double degrees in partnership with prestigious international universities, noting that 25 Egyptian universities have reached advanced levels in the Times Higher Education classification for the year 2022, and that 6 Egyptian universities have advanced positions within the QS classification of universities.

The meeting also discussed the mechanisms of scientific and research cooperation between Egyptian and Somali universities through providing educational services to students and faculty members, exchanging experiences on the latest training programmes, curricula and teaching methods, as well as cooperation in research projects in the fields of agriculture and renewable energy, in addition to cooperation in the field of climate change.

For his part, the Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education of the Federal Republic of Somalia thanked the Egyptian government for its support to the  Somali students studying in Egyptian universities, stressing his country's keenness to benefit from Egyptian expertise in all fields.

The Somali ambassador in Cairo thanked President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Republic, for his clear directives to provide various forms of support and possible assistance to Somalia, in all development and training fields, stressing that this matter is not new to sisterly Egypt, which is a regional center serving African and Arab countries that supports its brothers to achieve their aspirations in development and stability.

The meeting was attended by Mr. Ibrahim Mohamed Omar Talha, Cultural Attaché at the Somali Embassy in Cairo.