Mansoura University President Participates in the Meeting of the Supreme Council of Universities at Sohag University

Prof. Cherif Youssef Khater, President of Mansoura University, participated on December 28, 2024, in the session of the Supreme Council of Universities, headed by Prof. Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, in the presence of Prof. Mustafa Refaat, Secretary of the Council, and the members of the Council, at Sohag University.

According to the statement of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the Minister of Higher Education directed the universities to prepare for the first semester exams for the academic year 2024/2025, and directed the regularity of faculty members, and the administrative staff throughout the exam period; To ensure the regularity and good conduct of exams at universities and institutes.

Prof. Ayman Ashour also praised the various and regular efforts of universities in implementing the presidential initiative "A New Beginning for Building the Human Being", and the provision of many diverse services by universities in various geographical regions, as universities launched many development convoys throughout the republic to serve citizens, in order to activate the role of universities in serving society and developing the environment at the level of all governorates. He added that enhancing innovation and transforming scientific research outputs into products of economic value to serve the national economy is one of the ministry's priorities according to the National Strategy for Higher Education and Scientific Research, referring to the presidential initiative "Alliance and Development", which aims to achieve a developmental milestone in the Egyptian regions through the integration of the efforts of universities, industry and the state, stressing that the initiative contributes to employing scientific research to serve the needs of industry and support the national economy, noting that the initiative operates at the level of the seven regions in Egypt, as it unifies the resources of each region to confront developmental and societal challenges in many fields, directing the need for universities to continue implementing the initiative's objectives. The Minister also stressed the ministry's orientation towards internationalizing the "Alliance and Development" initiative by expanding international partnerships with a number of countries, and benefiting from their expertise in linking research outputs to industry, noting that work on the ground has contributed significantly to bridging the gap between the academic programs offered by the university, scientific research and the needs of industry to meet the needs of the labor market. He directed to intensify the community participation of universities in cooperation with the "Decent Life" initiative, by launching (medical, veterinary, and agricultural convoys), in addition to educational seminars, events and various activities, explaining that work will be done to build capacities, and make more efforts in the health, environmental, veterinary and social fields, as well as increasing the efforts of universities in eradicating illiteracy in cooperation with the General Authority for Adult Education, to activate the role of universities in serving society and developing the environment.

The Minister also praised the inclusion of 42 Egyptian universities in the Times Higher Education ranking in its special version for the Arab region for the year 2024, as well as the inclusion of 48 Egyptian universities in the results of the Arab University Ranking for the year 2024, as well as the inclusion of 26 Egyptian universities in the QS Sustainability Ranking for the year 2025, an increase of 3 universities over the version of last year. The Minister directed the need for universities to continue providing support to researchers to increase scientific publishing in prestigious scientific journals; to raise 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 December, which included Prof. Ayman Ashour's inauguration of the Liver Transplant Center at Mansoura University, which is the largest medical center in the Middle East and Africa at a cost of one billion pounds. It aims to accommodate the increasing number of patients and eliminate waiting lists for liver transplants at Mansoura University. The center is a medical edifice supported by the President of the Republic, and reflects the health development in the new republic.

Prof. Adel Abdel Ghaffar, the media advisor and official spokesperson for the ministry, stated that the council approved a number of proposals that can be followed to verify the validity of certificates submitted by holders of degrees from foreign universities before considering their equivalence by the Department of Equivalence of Scientific Degrees at the Supreme Council of Universities.

The official spokesperson added that the council was informed of the establishment of the Human Rights Unit as an independent administrative unit in the universities of (Suez - Helwan - Menoufia - Damanhour - Kafr El-Sheikh - Assiut - Mansoura - Alexandria - Fayoum), and the approval of its administrative regulations, in light of the central human rights unit established at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

The Council was informed of the launch of the electronic platform for the activities and achievements of the Community Service and Environmental Development Sector in Egyptian public universities, which aims to display 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, including the activities implemented by universities either individually or in partnership with other universities through regional alliances or with industry partners, and other entities in the region. These activities aim to advance the community surrounding the university in various fields, such as launching comprehensive development convoys, organizing educational and awareness seminars to confront extremist ideas, combat human trafficking, illegal immigration, and assisting people with disabilities, in addition to discovering societal problems and searching for possible solutions and working to implement them and other activities carried out by the Community Service and Environmental Development Sector in universities. These activities and events are presented to be under the supervision of university leaders, concerned parties and decision-makers.