CAIRO – Egyptian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Ayman Ashour asserted Tuesday that Egypt has become an increasingly prominent educational destination at the regional level, hosting more than 130,000 students from 119 countries.
This comes within the framework of the state’s strategy to internationalise higher education and enhance academic and research co-operation with various countries around the world.
This statement came during Ashour’s meeting with the Cypriot Ambassador to Cairo Polly Ioannou, in the presence of Assistant Minister for Strategic Planning and Workforce Development Ayman Farid and Advisor to the Minister for Marketing and Public Relations Nevine el Sagheer. The meeting aimed to strengthen academic and research collaboration between the two countries.
Ashour highlighted the strong Egyptian-Cypriot relations, emphasising the ministry’s commitment to coordination with Cyprus in light of the joint meetings held between President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, which reflected the depth of bilateral ties and the mutual desire to expand cooperation in fields such as investment, information technology and higher education, to support sustainable development and shared interests.
He explained that enhancing academic and research cooperation between Egyptian and Cypriot educational and research institutions supports communication between both sides and opens broader horizons for scientific and academic partnerships, contributing to human capacity building.
Ashour also reviewed the development of the higher education system in Egypt, which includes public, private, national and technological universities, as well as branches of international universities. Egypt also offers joint academic programs with several prestigious international institutions.
He stressed that this diversity reflects the state’s efforts to provide multiple educational pathways, ensuring the graduation of qualified individuals who meet the demands of the local and global labor markets.
Ashour pointed to the government’s efforts to increase access to higher education, with the number of university students reaching approximately 3.8 million, over 53% of whom are female, in a clear indication of the state’s support for women’s empowerment and increased academic participation.
The Ministry also aims to raise university enrollment to over 5.5 million students in the coming years. He also noted Egypt’s excellence in medical and engineering education, along with its university hospital system, which plays a major educational, research and training role, while also providing vital healthcare services to citizens.
For her part, Ioannou expressed her delight with the visit, noting that there are many areas of mutual interest where Egypt and Cyprus can cooperate, given the strong relations, shared interests, and cultural understanding and closeness between the two peoples, which adds a unique dimension to academic, research, and cultural cooperation. She reaffirmed her country’s keenness to continue fruitful collaboration with Egypt in all fields, especially academic and research sectors.
The meeting also discussed organizing joint meetings between Egyptian and Cypriot universities, with the participation of the Supreme Council of Universities, to explore avenues of cooperation and prepare for an upcoming visit by the Cypriot Minister of Education to Egypt.
Additionally, both sides discussed mechanisms for scientific research cooperation in areas such as renewable energy, agriculture, water resources, and joint action to tackle climate change, which is of mutual concern. They also explored ways to support student exchanges and implement joint student research projects, similar to the “International Design Studio” initiative.
