Minister of Education discusses with Chinese Ambassador to Cairo enhancing cooperation
Mr. Mohamed Abdel Latif, Minister of Education and Technical Education, received Mr. Liao Liqiang, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Cairo, and his accompanying delegation; to discuss a number of topics of common interest to develop pre-university education in Egypt.
At the beginning of the meeting, Minister Mohamed Abdel Latif expressed his deep appreciation for the fruitful relations between the two countries to develop education, stressing that this cooperation is a model to be emulated and enhances the exchange of experiences to improve the quality of the educational process in light of the latest technologies and innovations in the field of education to ensure a better future for future generations.
The Minister of Education appreciated the continued support of the Chinese side, and its commitment to strengthening these bilateral relations in various fields, especially in the field of education, stressing the ministry's aspiration to continue cooperation in the field of applied technology schools, developing educational technology, and expanding into new fields that contribute to developing the educational system for the benefit of both sides.
During the meeting, the Minister reviewed the Ministry's experience during the past 6 months in facing the challenges facing the educational system, including high student densities, the shortage in the number of teachers, and the solutions adopted by the Ministry in this regard, stressing the interest in learning about China's experience in dealing with student densities, and learning about the mechanism for dealing with bridging the shortage in the number of teachers.
For his part, the Chinese Ambassador conveyed the greetings of the Chinese Minister of Education to Mr. Mohamed Abdel Latif, expressing his happiness with this fruitful meeting, and the interest of the Egyptian Ministry of Education in enhancing cooperation between Egypt and China in the field of pre-university education, stressing the strong partnership between the two countries and his country's commitment to supporting joint efforts to advance the educational process in Egypt, and providing all the necessary capabilities to achieve common goals, praising the efforts of Minister Mohamed Abdel Latif in developing the educational process and the positive changes witnessed by the pre-university education sector in Egypt.
Mr. Liao Liqiang appreciated the civilizational role of the two countries, in addition to the clear boom in bilateral relations in light of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, which was reflected in enhancing cooperation in various fields.
The Chinese ambassador also explained that Egypt is the only country in the African continent that includes two Luban workshops, which are a model for Chinese-African cooperation, which has contributed to strengthening relations and practical cooperation between the two countries. Chinese companies in Egypt employ a number of technical education graduates who studied Chinese in Egypt every year, noting that the Chinese language has gained great popularity among teachers and students, and there is an effort to increase the number of schools in this field within the framework of the memorandum of understanding that lasts for 6 years and ends in 2025.
The meeting witnessed ways to enhance cooperation between the two sides in using technology in education to address the challenges facing the educational process, and expanding the teaching of the Chinese language in Egyptian schools, as the number of schools that teach Chinese as a second foreign language is 21 schools, as well as continuing interest in the Chinese Model School in 6th of October, and the Al-Hurriya Model School in the city of Menoufia, in addition to cooperation in the field of developing Chinese language curricula.
The meeting also discussed cooperation with the Chinese side in the field of developing technical education, especially applied technology schools specializing in tourism and hotels in tourist-attracting areas, as well as developing the Luban Workshop at the Advanced Technical School for Maintenance Technology, and increasing the number of scholarships for outstanding technical education students who are graduates of Luban Workshop schools to complete their studies in the People's Republic of China and benefit from Chinese companies working in the field of technology in Egypt. The meeting was attended by the Chinese delegation, Mr. Lu Chun Xing, Ministerial Advisor for Educational Affairs, Dr. Pan Xiao Han, Second Secretary for Educational Affairs, Dr. Rehab Mahmoud, Head of the Chinese Language Department at Cairo University, and Mr. Gu Yiji, Assistant and Translator of the Ambassador. From the Ministry of Education, Dr. Akram Hassan, Assistant Minister for Curriculum Development Affairs, Ms. Sherine Hamdy, Minister's Advisor for International Relations and Agreements and Supervisor of the Minister's Office, Dr. Hala Abdel Salam, Head of the Central Administration for General Education, Dr. Amr Basila, Head of the Central Administration for Technical Education Development and Director of the Applied Technology Schools Operations Unit, Mr. Mohamed Attia, Head of the Central Administration for Fee-Based Education, Dr. Rasha El-Geoushy, Ministry Coordinator for Academic Affairs for International Schools, and Dr. Amira Awad, Ministry Coordinator for United Nations Organizations.