University President Participates in the Supreme Council of Universities Meeting at the New Administrative Capital
Professor Dr. Hemdan Rabie El-Metwally, President of the University, participated in the Supreme Council of Universities meeting held today, Tuesday, September 30, 2025, under the chairmanship of Professor Dr. Mohamed Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, with the attendance of Professor Dr. Mostafa Refaat, Secretary-General of the Council, and the esteemed members, at the Ministry’s headquarters in the New Administrative Capital.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Council observed a minute of silence in mourning for the late Dr. Yasser Sakr, President of the Knowledge International Universities Foundation and former President of Helwan University, extending sincere condolences to his family and the academic community.
The Council congratulated Dr. Ahmed Azab on being appointed Acting President of Sadat City University, wishing him continued success in the coming period.
Professor Dr. Ayman Ashour also extended his heartfelt congratulations to all members of the academic community—faculty members, teaching assistants, administrative staff, and both new and returning students—on the occasion of the commencement of the new academic year 2025/2026, wishing everyone a successful and fruitful academic year.
Professor Dr. Ayman Ashour also extended his congratulations to the Egyptian scholars at universities, research centers, and institutes who were listed in Stanford University’s ranking of the top 2% of scientists worldwide for 2025. A total of 1,106 Egyptian researchers were included in Stanford’s 2024 list of the top 2% most-cited scientists for “excellence in research output,” in addition to 579 Egyptian researchers listed in the lifetime achievement category.
The Minister expressed his gratitude to university presidents, the Institute for Leadership Development, and the General Administration of the Media Office and the official spokesperson of the Ministry, for their collective efforts in raising awareness among university and institute students about the dangers of extremist ideologies, in cooperation with relevant state institutions.
Professor Dr. Ashour highlighted the official launch of the presidential initiative “Tamkeen” to promote social awareness of the rights of students with disabilities, scheduled to take place from October 25 to 30, with the closing ceremony to be held next February. He stressed the importance of full cooperation from all universities in implementing the initiative and providing a comprehensive evaluation of the readiness of all university facilities to serve students with disabilities.
The Minister also emphasized the importance of activating the role of university career development centers, particularly in the fields of entrepreneurship, computer skills, artificial intelligence, and communication skills, to prepare students and equip them with the competencies required by the labor market.
The Minister stressed the importance of universities implementing comprehensive student activity plans—including sports, arts, cultural, and social programs—and supporting talented students throughout the new academic year.
Professor Dr. Ayman Ashour also underlined the necessity of fostering a supportive and motivating environment for excellence and innovation, which contributes to building an effective scientific and technological base, capable of generating knowledge and driving innovation, thereby supporting efforts to advance the national economy.
The Council reviewed a report on the key activities of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research during the month of September. Professor Dr. Ashour highlighted his visit to Gothenburg, Sweden, where he led a high-level delegation to participate in the 35th Annual Conference and Exhibition of the European Association for International Education (EAIE 2025).
During the visit, he also held a meeting with the Swedish State Secretary for Education and Research to explore ways of enhancing cooperation between Egyptian and Swedish academic and research institutions. Furthermore, he met with leaders of the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT) to discuss mechanisms for internationalizing education and The Minister expressed his gratitude to the Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt for providing educational scholarships to outstanding students benefiting from the “Takaful and Karama” initiative, students exempted from tuition fees by the Ministry of Education during the 2024/2025 academic year, as well as students affected by the suspension of the USAID program, starting from the upcoming academic year.
He also extended thanks to Dr. Maya Morsy, Minister of Social Solidarity, for offering the Dr. Ali Moselhy Educational Grant provided by Nasser Social Bank.
Professor Dr. Adel Abdel Ghaffar, Media Advisor and Official Spokesperson of the Ministry, stated that the Council listened to a presentation delivered by Mr. Khaled Bassiouny, Director of Financial Inclusion at the Central Bank of Egypt, on the initiative of opening bank accounts for university and higher institute students. The initiative aims to integrate students into the formal financial system from an early stage of their education, enhance their capacity for saving and financial planning, promote financial empowerment, facilitate the use of electronic payments, and enable them to benefit from banking reward programs and digital services.
This initiative also facilitates the smooth receipt of grants and financial support, spreads financial literacy, strengthens students’ ability to make sound financial decisions, and prepares a generation of youth capable of leading developmental and entrepreneurial projects. Additionally, it contributes to reducing the costs associated with cash handling and security, enhancing financial governance and transparency, and supporting the infrastructure of electronic payment systems across university campuses. Expanding academic partnerships between Egyptian and Swedish universities. The Official Spokesperson added that the Council also heard a presentation from Dr. Karim Hammam, the Minister’s Advisor for Student Activities, regarding the Best University in Student Activities Competition. The presentation highlighted the outcomes of student activities across Egyptian universities during the 2024/2025 academic year, where 40,747 activities were implemented nationwide with the participation of 48 universities.
These activities spanned a wide range of fields, including sports, culture, arts, social engagement, science, technology, student unions and associations, as well as scouting and public service activities. The presentation also reviewed the competition’s evaluation criteria, while extending appreciation to all universities for their strong support in promoting and implementing student activities.
The Council also followed up on the efforts of the committee chaired by Professor Dr. Abdelaziz Konsowa, President of Alexandria University, tasked with promoting Egyptian universities across various platforms through the production of diverse digital content targeting audiences both domestically and internationally.
In addition, the Council reviewed a report presented by Professor Dr. El-Sayed Kandil, President of Helwan University and Chair of the Supreme Committee for Aptitude Tests, on the outcomes of the aptitude tests for admission to the 2025/2026 academic year. The report included the total number of applicants, the percentage of those who passed and those who did not, as well as a comparative analysis of the tests between 2024 and 2025, along with detailed statistics across faculties, academic sectors, and universities.
Furthermore, the Council approved the Guiding Framework for the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education and Scientific Research. The framework outlines the strategic and regulatory context, ethical principles and guidelines, areas of application in higher education, the role of AI in scientific research, risk management, as well as recommendations and implementation policies.
