Hamza el-Husseini
High school (ThanawiyaAmma) toppers flew back to Cairo today evening, after concluding their lifetime trip in Berlin.
The trip was organised by Al-Gomhouria newspaper in co-operation with the Ministry of Education and the German University in Cairo (GUC).
During the trip, they visited the most important tourist and historical landmarks in Germany and met with senior officials there. The students visited the most renowned tourist destinations in Berlin, and recognized the industrial, economic and scientific renaissance that Germany is witnessing through a number of organised meetings.
Al-Gomhuria newspaper, the official sponsor of this trip for more than sixty years, has been keen on preparing a distinguished cultural scientific and entertainment programme for the 34 top achievers, including three students with special needs.
This year’s trip came within the framework of Al-Gomhuria newspaper’s keenness to continue this annual programme, whose idea was born through the educational page.
Al-Gomhuria was the first local newspaper to issue this educational page, which played a major role in achieving students’ dreams of success throughout the past years.
During their trip, the high toppers toured the main Berlin train station, designed by the Egyptian consulting engineer Hani Azer. The students voiced their admiration for the design of the station, which is the largest station in German cities and took souvenir photos.
The students also toured the capital’s neighbourhoods and saw the tall buildings and open parks there. They did shopping inside the largest malls in Berlin and saw the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin’s most famous landmark and a must-see for all visitors.
They saw the headquarters of the German Bundestag and toured the Kudamm area in the city centre, where they saw the broken church, considered one of the most important landmarks in the area.
They also saw the Berlin Cinema, displaying the events of the Berlin International Film Festival annually.
They also visited the Museum Island in Berlin, the largest gathering of art galleries in the world. It is a majestic and distinctive architecture in the heart of the capital, Berlin.
The high school top achievers went to the Egyptian Family House in Germany, where they were received by AlaaThabet, head of the Egyptian Family House in Berlin.
He took them on tours in the streets and large squares of Berlin to learn about the landmarks of the country.
They also visited the Lake Tegel, which is the second largest lake in Berlin.
It is located in the northwest of the Reinickdorf area. Its depth is 16 metres and its width is 1.6 kilometres.
The lake is an ideal destination for tourists from all over the world.
The high school seniors also paid a visit to the German International University (GIU ), where they were received by the Egyptian Ambassador to Germany Khaled Galal and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the German University, Dr Ashraf Mansour.
Mansour welcomed the Egyptian ambassador, the top students, and the journalists of Al-Gomhouria newspaper, and expressed his happiness with the students and their excellence.
Mansour said that he would grant Egyptian university students, who will rank first, full and partial scholarships after spending one year in his university in Cairo.
He said that the top students can register on the university’s official website to obtain the scholarship after spending the first year in one of the Egyptian universities. The required specialisations are information engineering, architecture, and computer science.
The GUC president said that the pioneers were a homeland because their success provided their nation with pride and progress. Mansour said that Al-Gomhouria newspaper has always supported the ThanawiyaAmma top achievers’ trip over the course of 60 years, and we are happy to participate in this event.
For their part, the high school seniors confirmed that the trip was a great opportunity to learn about high techno;ogy in Germany and they expressed their deep thanks to Al-Gomhuria newspaper.
They stressed that the Al-Gomhuria newspaper always supports the outstanding students to give them an impetus to continue their excellence and success.
Before flying to Germany, The newspaper organised several visits to industrial corporations across the country. The programme included visits to a number of universities that offer free scholarships to top students, most notably the German University in Cairo.
Al-Gomhuria was also keen to organise a meeting with Minister of Education RedaHegazy, in the presence of Abdel Sadiq Al-Shorbagy, Chairman of the National Press Authority and EyadAbul-Haggag, Board Chairman of Dar Al-Tahrir for Printing and Publishing, together with Abdel RazekTawfiq, Editor-in-Chief of Al-Gomhuria Newspaper.
