Prime minister lays foundation-stone of German university in Cairo
Egypt-Germany, Education, 10/22/2001

Egyptian Prime Minister Atef Ebeid laid yesterday the foundation stone of the German University in the Fifth district in Cairo. Speaking Sunday at a ceremony marking the inauguration, Ebeid said the project of the new university is an additional contribution on the road of strengthening Egyptian-German relations and is a new proof of our desire to realize a wider understanding between our two peoples."

He added the project of the German university is an additional step on the road of providing distinguished education in Egypt.

Egypt strives to amalgamate itself in world economy after it has carried out a successful economic reform programme, the Prime Minister said, and pointed out that this amalgamation began with the recent signing of the partnership agreement with the European Union.

Egypt is determined to develop its economic, cultural and educational institutions and to put forward more investments to develop human resources, he said.

Moufid Shihab, Minister of Higher education and state for scientific research, said the building of a new university in Egypt, whether it is Egyptian or foreign, is an addition to culture, civilization and prosperity.

He said that the German university is a private university to be set up by a group of Egyptian and German businessmen and professors.

It was agreed that this university should have a special character focusing on the technological and application side in which Germany occupies a distinguished place, Germany will provide the special skills required by Egypt.

Shihab added : "The project for which we lay a foundation-stone today, reflects the necessity of dialogue and confirms that we believe in dialogue among cultures and civilizations and the fact that they complement each other and not conflict among them. Because humanity is one.

On his part, Mohammed Ibrahim Suleiman, Minister of Housing and New Communities, referred to efforts made to build New Cairo (of which the 5th district is part).

He pointed out that it had been agreed to build an American university in New Cairo to be another minaret of education and culture in the capital in addition to 45 new schools.

The Minister said that two billion pounds have been spent to prepare 26 million square meters of services and utilities in New Cairo. A total of 35,000 housing units have been built and 35 million pounds were spent on services projects.

The Housing Minister lauded joint cooperation between Egypt and Germany in setting up giant projects for drinking water, sanitary drainage and town planning.

On his part, German speakers at the ceremony lauded the close and distinguished relations between Egypt and Germany.

They said that Egypt was chosen to be the site of the first integrated German university to be built outside Germany in view of Egypt's distinguished place at world level under the leadership of President Hosni Mubarak.

The German university project strengthens relations of cooperation in the field of scientific research between the two countries, they stressed.

The new university will grant unified academic degrees recognized in Egypt and Germany and at the international level.

It will also open the fields of research, development and training in addition to interaction with the Egyptian society and the development of urban communities.

On his part, Ashraf Mansour, Chairman of the constituent society of the University, said that in the first and second stages, the German University in Cairo will have the following faculties :

engineering, information technology, media engineering and technology, administration technology, biological and pharmaceutical technology, a higher studies faculty and research centers to develop and support industry and scientific research.

The German university in Cairo will also host international conference and will act as "one of the bridges of Egyptian European cooperation between Egyptian and European Universities and will participate in development within the framework of the Egyptian-European partnership agreement. N The German university in Cairo will receive the first batch of students in October 2002, he concluded.

Previous Stories:
  Mrs. Mubarak attends experimental operation of Alexandria library   (10/2/2001)
  Experimental inauguration of Alexandria library today   (10/1/2001)
  Egypt achieves tangible progress in education   (8/25/2001)

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