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 Thursday 23 January, in the presence of Dr. Mustafa Rifaat, Secretary of the council, and members of the council, at Aswan University.  
  
 Prof. Ahmed El-Minshawy stated that the meeting discussed several important files related to the educational system, the foremost of which is raising the maximum degree of readiness at University Hospitals to receive the wounded and injured in the Gaza Strip, the speedy completion of controls and the announcement of the results of the first semester exams, enhancing the role of universities as a basic engine for innovation and sustainable development, and activating cooperation between universities and the National Alliance for civil development work during the coming period.

 The council stressed the integration of efforts and providing all aspects of support to the brothers in Gaza, within the framework of the directives of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, president of the Republic, and directed Dr. Ayman Ashour to raise the maximum degree of readiness at the University Hospitals to receive the wounded and injured in the Gaza Strip, after Egypt's success in cooperation with regional and international partners in reaching a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip. 

  In this context, prof. El-Minshawy stressed the readiness of Assiut University Hospitals to receive patients injured from the Gaza Strip, providing sufficient numbers of medical teams, all medicines, and various medical supplies, and forming a strategic stock of emergency medical supplies.

  During the meeting, Dr. Mohammed Ayman Ashour directed that the work of the controls be completed quickly and the results of the first semester exams of the current academic year be announced to the students as soon as required to enable them to register for courses by the beginning of the second semester at all colleges that operate the credit hours system. 

   Dr. Ayman Ashour also directed that all maintenance work should be completed during the mid-term break of the current academic year, and to ensure the availability and readiness of Occupational Safety and security equipment in all university buildings and facilities, to ensure the safety of all members of the academic community, within the framework of universities ' readiness to start studying in the second semester. 

  The minister stressed the importance of intensifying the efforts of universities during the vacation period in implementing activities and events, launching medical, veterinary, and agricultural convoys, educational seminars, various events and activities, and contributing positively to capacity-building in the health, environmental, veterinary and social fields, in cooperation with the "Decent Life" initiative, to activate the role of universities in community service and environmental development at the level of all governorates. 

   The minister stressed the need for universities to continue to strengthen affiliation among university students and to develop plans to intensify awareness campaigns for students to combat abnormal ideas. 

  A statement issued by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research said that the council agreed to complete the procedures for allocating an area of 49,310 square meters to establish the Integrated Complex of universities in the Egyptian universities area in the new administrative capital, as well as the headquarters of the Supreme Council of universities. 

   It is noteworthy that the council listened to a presentation by Dr. Hossam Osman, Deputy Minister for innovation and scientific research affairs, on the role of universities as a key engine for innovation and sustainable development, starting from reviewing regional and global experiences and in preparation for the launch of the Presidential Initiative "alliance and development" and the National Innovation Policy during the coming February, to employ innovation to create value and enhance sustainability in all productive and service sectors in line with the target of universities to support national strategies, the presentation also included discussing the final features of the ministry's strategy to promote higher education and scientific research through artificial intelligence technology to enhance the quality of life, growth and competitiveness of the country regionally and globally. 

  The council also listened to a presentation by Ambassador Nabila Makram, head of the Technical Secretariat of the National Alliance for Civil Development Work, on the goals, visions, and strategies of the alliance to achieve integration and the formation of a database of volunteers, help and encourage them to volunteer and create an effective umbrella for all community service entities. The alliance's efforts over the past three years were reviewed, and the strategic goals of the alliance, which include promoting the concept of volunteering and community participation, achieving social and economic development and social justice, environmental protection, maximizing resources and sustainability, governance of civil development work and standardization of databases. Mr. Hatem Metwally, deputy head of the Technical Secretariat of the National Alliance, also reviewed the "Insan" interactive volunteering platform project, which is the first and largest integrated interactive electronic platform in Egypt for volunteer work, to provide an effective interactive environment to connect volunteers with various volunteer opportunities and initiatives that meet their needs and aspirations, contribute to the development of their skills and enhance their role in community development.

  It is worth mentioning that the meeting listened to the visions of university presidents to activate the role of university students in supporting civil work during the coming period, and it was agreed to coordinate through the secretariat of the Supreme Council of Universities and the Technical Secretariat of the alliance during the coming period, to develop executive mechanisms for comprehensive cooperation programs between universities and the National Alliance for civil development work during the coming period.

Dr. Cyril Clark, executive vice president and academic director of Virginia Tech University, made a presentation about the University's vision for cross-border cooperation, noting that the university offers 280 undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs, and includes more than 38 thousand undergraduate and graduate students, and 2,575 faculty members, and research expenses amount to about 419 million dollars, which is one of the highest universities in the United States in terms of research spending, and a distinct learning environment.

The council also listened to a presentation on the electronic platform for the activities of the community service and environmental development sector in Egyptian universities, and the platform aims to present all the activities and achievements of the community service and environmental development sector in public universities in the form of statistical data and complete files.

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