Prof. Ahmed El-Minshawy, president of Assiut University, participated in the regular meeting of the Supreme Council of Universities, chaired by Dr. Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, on Saturday, October 2024, in the presence of Dr. Mustafa Refat, Secretary of the council, and members of the council, at the headquarters of Alexandria University. 

Prof. Ahmed El-Minshawy stated that the meeting discussed several important files related to the educational system, on top of which comes the emphasis on the importance of community participation of universities in the Presidential Initiative "a new beginning for Human building, continuing to support and discover talented, brilliant and innovative students and provide all necessary support to them, implementing the plan of regional alliances to support scientific research for industry and the national economy, and facing the challenges at different geographical regions all over the Republic.

At the beginning of the meeting, the council held a minute of mourning for the students of Al Galala University

A statement issued by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research stated that Dr. Ayman Ashour directed to hold periodic workshops in the presence of university presidents to continue discussing and presenting the global developments witnessed by the higher education and scientific research system in a rapidly changing global environment to ensure that Egyptian universities keep pace with contemporary global development.

The Minister of Higher Education stressed the importance of universities intensifying the implementation of various student activities plans (sports, artistic, cultural, and social), supporting and discovering talented, brilliant, and innovative students, providing all necessary support to them, receiving their research and innovative ideas, and working to develop them, to contribute to transforming their innovative ideas into competitively marketable products, and helping to create marketing opportunities for them.

The minister directed to the intensification of the implementation of awareness and educational seminars for students, strengthen their affiliation and intensify awareness campaigns for students to combat concepts and ideas that contradict the tolerant religious beliefs and the authentic cultural and societal legacies of the Egyptian people.

 The minister stressed the need for universities to focus on scientific research and ideas that can be converted into innovations and viable products, and have an economic return on society, and to strengthen scientific and research cooperation between universities and the industrial community, business, and productive institutions, as well as linking the research product with industry, and directing scientific research to serve society.

The minister stressed the importance of activating the role of regional alliances signed between universities and productive and industrial institutions, implementing the regional alliances plan to support scientific research for industry and the national economy, and supporting the transformation of educational institutions into innovative institutions that contribute to attracting distinguished scientific cadres, in implementation of the Presidential Initiative "alliance and development", which enjoys the support and patronage of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and in line with achieving the objectives of the national strategy for higher education and scientific research.

Dr. Ayman Ashour praised the active participation of Egyptian universities in the implementation of the Presidential Initiative "a new beginning for Human building", pointing to the provision of services to more than 86 thousand citizens from different age groups and community segments, where 64 comprehensive development convoys were launched to villages; to provide its various services to Egyptians, the minister directed the importance of continuing to launch development convoys to activate the role of universities in community service and environmental development 

The minister praised the inclusion of 35 Egyptian universities in the Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2025 global "public version", and directed the minister to the need for universities to continue to provide support to researchers to increase scientific publication in prestigious scientific journals; to upgrade the ranking of Egyptian universities in the major international rankings.

The council listened to a report on the most prominent activities of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research during October, and the report indicated that many meetings were held with foreign officials to discuss mechanisms to enhance joint scientific and research cooperation.

Dr. Adel Abdul Ghaffar, media advisor and official spokesman of the ministry, stated that the Council honored Dr. Nahal Al-shaqanqiri, professor at the Department of Ophthalmology and Surgery at the Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, in recognition of her efforts in providing health, therapeutic and educational services to civil society in her field of specialization, and she provided a role model in dedication and sincerity in work, and contributed to conducting thousands of surgeries for children from Alexandria governorate and other governorates for free, and also contributed to transforming the pediatric unit at the one-day surgery center at the main University Hospital into a new center of excellence it is added to surgeries and University Hospitals at Alexandria University.

The official spokesman added that the council followed up the efforts of the committee formed under the chairmanship of Dr. Abdulaziz Tantawi, president of New Valley University, on the latest developments in the implementation of the cooperation protocol signed between the Ministry of Higher Education and scientific research and New Valley governorate at the level of public universities; to establish a partnership project between universities; to exploit it for Scientific Research, increase the productivity of strategic crops, and prepare a comprehensive and integrated vision for this project.  

The council approved the accession of Dr. Ayman Farid, acting head of the Cultural Affairs and Missions sector, to the formation of the Cultural Relations Committee at the council secretariat