Meeting Discusses: Monitoring the Performance of Egyptian Universities in International Rankings and Maximizing the Impact of Training Initiatives
Dr. Abdelaziz Konsowa, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, held a meeting with the National Technical Committee for International Rankings of Egyptian Higher Education Institutions to review the latest developments regarding the presence of Egyptian universities in international and regional rankings and discuss ways to enhance their global competitiveness.
During the meeting, the Minister emphasized the strategic importance of international rankings as one of the benchmark tools reflecting the quality of academic, research, and institutional performance. He stressed the need for integrated cooperation between the committee and university ranking offices and committees in order to improve institutional readiness and strengthen the competitiveness of Egyptian universities across various international rankings.
The Minister praised the growing Egyptian presence in prestigious international rankings, including the inclusion of 36 Egyptian universities in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, 47 Egyptian universities in the Times Higher Education Arab University Rankings, and 51 Egyptian universities in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings. In addition, 20 Egyptian universities were ranked in the QS World University Rankings, 42 universities in the QS Arab Region University Rankings, and 29 universities in the QS Sustainability Rankings.
Dr. Konsowa pointed out that international rankings are not merely numerical goals but are important tools for improving the reputation of Egyptian higher education, supporting efforts to attract international students, enhancing opportunities for international partnerships and dual-degree programs, and expanding Egyptian universities abroad. This aligns with the state’s vision of positioning Egypt as a regional and international educational destination while leveraging rankings to strengthen institutional reputation, support internationalization, and improve opportunities for funding and academic cooperation.
The Minister directed the committee to continue providing technical and advisory support to higher education and research institutions, including public, national, private universities, and institutes, while working to improve their readiness according to international benchmark indicators. He stressed the importance of enhancing institutional data quality, strengthening international reputation, and moving beyond numerical representation in rankings toward achieving advanced positions for Egyptian universities.
The Minister also instructed the committee to prepare periodic reports covering performance monitoring, achievement indicators, existing challenges, and executive action plans to address them, while strengthening the committee’s role in providing technical support, preparing reference frameworks, implementing capacity-building programs, analyzing performance indicators, and proposing the necessary executive interventions to improve institutional readiness.
The meeting discussed the executive performance report and the impact of training initiatives implemented by the committee during the period from September 2025 to February 2026. During this period, 12 specialized workshops were conducted, with a total attendance of 777 participants, including leaders, staff members, and ranking coordinators. One workshop witnessed institutional representation from 66 Egyptian universities.
These workshops addressed several topics aimed at building sustainable national capacities, including research intelligence, international research data analysis, QS and THE rankings, sustainability, reputation management, and Egyptian Knowledge Bank tools.
The meeting also reviewed the importance of expanding the impact of these initiatives through a “training of trainers” approach, which would contribute to localizing technical expertise within universities, transforming capacity development centers into supportive executive arms, and maximizing the return on the Ministry’s investments in international ranking services and analytical databases.
The meeting was attended by Dr. Boshra Salem, Professor of Environmental Sciences and Sustainable Development at Alexandria University and Chair of the Committee; Ms. Ola Lawrence, Advisor to the Egyptian Knowledge Bank; Dr. Samaa Emam El-Dek, Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies for Advanced Sciences and Director of the International Ranking and Sustainable Development Office at Beni Suef University; Dr. Ahmed El-Shafie, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Director of International Ranking and Research Excellence at Al-Azhar University; Dr. Ahmed El-Banna, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Dentistry and Director General of International University Rankings at Ain Shams University; and Dr. Tarek Abbas Ali El-Khouly, Professor of Biophysics and Director of the International Ranking Center and Central Research Units at Delta University for Science and Technology.
