President El-Sisi Updated on Implementation Status of New Universities

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met today with Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research for University Affairs Dr. Mohamed Ayman Ashour, and Chairman of the Engineering Authority of the Armed Forces Staff Major General Ihab Al-Far.

The Spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency stated that the meeting addressed the implementation status of the establishment of new private, international, and technological universities nationwide and the plan to explore Egypt's needs in higher education system institutions until 2050, according to the state's population pyramid.

The President was updated on the implementation status of the national project to establish new private universities that are affiliated to public universities as well as their construction and engineering designs and study programs. In this regard, the President directed that the number of these universities should increase to 15 nationwide and that the academic study should focus on modern sciences and advanced scientific disciplines which would qualify young people for the current job market, whether inside or outside Egypt.

Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar also presented the study plan and educational process during the current academic year 2020/2021 amid coronavirus pandemic, including covid-19 precautionary and preventive measures that would be followed.

The President emphasized the importance of committing to all preventive measures related to the disinfection and sterilization of all facilities in various universities to maintain the health and safety of students and workers and to support distance learning mechanisms by taking advantage of the opportunities provided by technology to facilitate the educational process for students.

President El-Sisi also followed the developments in the establishment of modern technological universities nationwide. The President emphasized that specializations should be offered based on the industrial activities characterizing the cities and regions where these universities are located.

The Minister of Higher Education also presented the implementation status of the project to establish the New National Cancer Institute 500500; the President directed that the construction and implementation steps, in this framework, should be accelerated in accordance with the highest quality standards, stressing the importance of ensuring sustainability of the best healthcare service provision.