Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Dr. Ayman Ashour, and Minister of Education and Technical Education Mr. Mohamed Abdel Latif.
The Spokesman for the Presidency, Ambassador Mohamed El Shennawy, stated that the meeting was part of the President’s follow-up on several issues overseen by the Ministries of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and Education and Technical Education.
The two ministers reviewed coordination regarding the baccalaureate system.
The minister of higher education and scientific research reviewed the increase in the number of students enrolled in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, digitization, computer science, and technology at Egyptian universities for the academic year 2024/2025. The number of students in these fields has increased by 40% compared to the academic year 2023/2024.
The minister of higher education and scientific research also discussed the establishment of the Egyptian Academy of Mathematical Sciences to include outstanding and talented students.
President El-Sisi gave directives to give priority to these specializations, in light of the job market’s need for them and their connection to technological advancement, which is considered a key driving force for progress in any country.
The minister of higher education said as part of internationalizing and exporting Egyptian education, agreements have been made to open branches of Egyptian universities abroad in cooperation with the private sector, without the state bearing any cost. He added by the academic year 2025/2026, 10 new national universities will be introduced into the Egyptian higher education system, bringing the total number of national universities in Egypt to 30.
He noted that the total number of universities in Egypt currently stands at 116 (public, private, national, technological, and foreign), including 1,079 faculties.
President El-Sisi emphasized that the Egyptian university branches, including national ones, be equipped according to international standards and to attract foreign students and stressed that the faculties should include scientific and practical specializations related to technology, AI, digitization, and engineering.
The meeting also touched on the executive measures concerning coordination and acceptance at universities and institutes for the academic year 2024/2025. This includes the number of students and their distribution among universities, whether public, national, private, or foreign, in addition to technical and technological institutes.
The meeting discussed efforts to increase the number of international students at Egyptian universities. The President gave directives to continue efforts to turn Egypt into an attractive destination for distinguished higher education and international students.
President El-Sisi emphasized the importance of focusing efforts to turn the outputs of scientific research into products of economic value to contribute to supporting the national economy. The President affirmed the importance of enhancing innovation and entrepreneurship and linking scientific research to development plans and the needs of society. This is in addition to addressing the shortage of academic competencies and preventing brain drain, thus promoting Egypt’s position as a leading destination in the field of education.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.