Egypt, Australia talk cooperation in education

Egypt Today

19-05-2025

Egyptian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Dr. Ayman Ashour, received Axel Wabenhorst, Australian Ambassador to Cairo
CAIRO - 19 May 2025: Egyptian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Dr. Ayman Ashour, received Axel Wabenhorst, Australian Ambassador to Cairo, in the presence of Dr. Ayman Farid, Assistant Minister for Strategic Planning, Training, and Rehabilitation for the Labor Market and Acting Head of the Cultural Affairs and Missions Sector, and Dr. Nevin Mohamed El-Saghir, Advisor to the Minister for Marketing and Public Relations.
The meeting took place at the Private Education Building in New Cairo.
Dr. Ayman Ashour emphasized the depth of relations between Egypt and Australia, particularly in the field of higher education and scientific research, through student and academic exchange.
Dr. Ashour noted Egypt's aspirations to strengthen these relations and expand academic and research partnerships between the two countries.
The Minister highlighted the significant expansion witnessed by the Egyptian higher education system in recent years, through the establishment of new universities, the opening of branches of foreign universities, and the granting of dual degrees in collaboration with prestigious international universities.
He highlighted the diversity of the Egyptian higher education system, including public, private, national, and technological universities, as well as branches of foreign universities.
He also highlighted the diversity of educational paths that meet the needs of the changing global labor market, encompassing 3.8 million male and female students, with a strong female representation of approximately 53 percent of the total student body.
The Minister indicated that this comes within the framework of achieving the state's comprehensive vision for Egypt to be an attractive educational platform and a destination for those seeking distinguished educational services in the Arab region, the African continent, and the Middle East. He noted that the Egyptian higher education system offers diverse educational services in English alongside Arabic, in addition to extensive cooperation with France to offer programs in French to meet the needs of Francophone countries.
The Minister noted the increasing number of international students studying in Egypt, coming from various countries, reaching 130,000 from 119 countries around the world. He explained that internationalization is one of the most important principles of the National Strategy for Higher Education and Scientific Research, in which Egypt has achieved significant success through numerous successful partnerships with various countries in the fields of higher education and scientific research.
He emphasized that Egyptian educational institutions have extensive experience in twinning programs and educational and research partnerships, and have a long history of cooperation with major international institutions from around the world.
The two sides discussed a vision for expanding cooperation between the two countries. A proposal was also discussed to hold meetings bringing together the presidents of Egyptian and Australian universities and research institutions, as well as organizing virtual events between the two sides with the participation of the Supreme Council of Universities.
This would facilitate cooperation, advance relations between the two countries, open horizons for academic partnerships and research projects in priority areas of common interest, and enhance the exchange of knowledge and expertise between the two sides.
The two sides emphasized advancing cooperation in the fields of basic sciences, particularly mathematics, physics, and agriculture. The Minister noted Egypt's establishment of the first academy for mathematics and physics to support the graduation of distinguished science specialists, serving the country's goals of achieving a qualitative leap in the fields of science and technology. He also discussed cooperation in interdisciplinary study programs.
For his part, the Australian Ambassador to Cairo expressed his country's great appreciation for the strong relations that bind it to Egypt, particularly in the fields of higher education and scientific research. He noted that Australia is one of the largest countries offering scholarships to students and that it hosts a large number of Egyptian students and researchers.
Wabenhorst also reviewed Australia's distinguished education system, particularly in the fields of physics, engineering, agriculture, medicine, and law, emphasizing his country's willingness to work to advance academic and research cooperation with Egypt, given its distinguished young human resource, as well as Egypt's regional role as a gateway to the African continent.