(((Quoted from the official page of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research)))

Minister of Higher Education chairs meeting for the Supreme Council of Universities at Luxor University

Minister of Higher Education praises:

• Inclusion of 83 Egyptian educational institutions in the January 2026 edition of the Webometrics World Ranking.

• The presence of Egyptian universities in most of the disciplines covered by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for Academic Disciplines.

• The efforts of universities during the first semester exams for the current academic year 2025/2026.

The Minister of Higher Education directs:

• The importance of universities continuing to organize visits for students to the Cairo International Book Fair.

• Completing the controls process and announcing the results to students as quickly as possible.

Quickly complete all maintenance work during the Mid-year holiday in preparation for the start of the second semester.

The Supreme Council of Universities held its regular meeting, chaired by Dr. Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, in the presence of Dr. Mustafa Refaat, Secretary of the Council, and the members of the Council, at the headquarters of Luxor National University.

The Council thanked the Luxor University family, headed by Dr. Sabreen Abdel-Jalil, President of the University, for hosting the meeting of the Supreme Council of Universities.

Dr. Ayman Ashour praised the great efforts made by university leaders, teaching staff members, associated staff, and the administrative apparatus of universities during the end-of-semester exams for the current academic year 2025/2026.

Dr. Ayman Ashour emphasized the importance of universities continuing to organize visits for students to the Cairo International Book Fair, as it is one of the important cultural platforms that provides direct access to diverse sources of knowledge, contributes to raising awareness of intellectual and national issues, and builds the personality of university students capable of thinking, analyzing, and participating positively in society.

The minister directed that the controls process be completed quickly and the results announced to students as soon as possible, so that they can register for courses at the start of the second semester in all faculties that operate on an accredited hours system.

Dr. Ayman Ashour also directed that all maintenance work be completed during the mid-year holiday and that the availability and readiness of occupational safety and security equipment in all university buildings and facilities be ensured to guarantee the safety of all members of the academic community, as part of the university's preparations for the start of the second semester.

The minister also directed the strengthening of the innovation and entrepreneurship system in universities, activating the role of research centres and innovation and entrepreneurship incubators within universities, and encouraging international publication in major scientific journals, while linking scientific research to sustainable development goals and achieving the objectives of the national strategy for sustainable innovation in line with Egypt's Vision 2030.

The minister praised the achievements made in terms of international university rankings, including the inclusion of 83 Egyptian educational institutions in the January 2026 edition of the Webometrics World Ranking, which has maintained a steady increase in ranking results. Egyptian universities also excelled in most academic disciplines in the Webometrics World Ranking, with the number of Egyptian universities rising in many fields compared to last year's results. In engineering, the number rose from 28 to 29 universities, and in medical sciences, it grew from 23 to 28 universities. In computer science, the number rose from 17 to 21 universities, while the number of universities in physical sciences remained the same at 28. In life sciences, 23 universities were listed, while the number of universities listed in the field of social sciences rose from 10 to 13. In economics and business, the number increased from 5 universities to 8 universities. The minister directed that universities should continue to provide support to researchers to increase scientific publications in prestigious scientific journals in order to raise the ranking of Egyptian universities in major international rankings.

The Council listened to a report on the most prominent activities of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research during January, foremost among which was the launch of the national initiative to support outstanding students at Egyptian universities, "Future Scientists Scholarship," in partnership between the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Central Bank of Egypt, under the auspices of Her Excellency the First Lady, and in the presence and honor of Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister, at the Grand Hall of Cairo University, intending to enable the youth to have fair and equal educational opportunities and build a generation capable of participating in the process of comprehensive development and building the future of the nation.

The report stated that Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister, inaugurated the university hospital affiliated with New Giza University, in the presence of the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, bringing the total number of university hospitals to 146 nationwide.

The report highlighted the inspection visit by Dr. Mostafa Madbouly and Dr. Ayman Ashour to the Tripartite University Hospital in Minya Governorate, after its trial operation began. The hospital has a capacity of about 430 beds and provides comprehensive medical services to about 7 million citizens of Minya Governorate. The first Minya University Hotel was also inaugurated, consisting of five upper floors with a capacity of 240 beds. The building includes rooms equipped to the highest standards, a restaurant in line with the latest specifications, and a modern reception hall offering distinguished services.

The report stated that the minister attended the celebration of the golden jubilee of the Capital University (formerly Helwan University) to highlight 50 years of academic and artistic achievements and its ambitious plans.

The report added that the Minister of Higher Education held a meeting with the Minister of Education and Technical Education to discuss the development of an international professional certification program for teachers and to support efforts to improve teacher efficiency and build their professional capacities in accordance with the latest international standards.

The report stated that Dr. Ayman Ashour held a meeting with advisors and cultural attachés working in Egyptian cultural offices and centers abroad affiliated with the ministry, as part of following up on the performance of these offices and discussing their future work plans to support the state's broader vision of enhancing Egypt's presence in international events and activities, and highlight Egypt's cultural richness and diversity and the depth of its civilization, thereby contributing to the enhancement of Egypt's soft power.

The report highlighted Dr. Ayman Ashour's signing of a strategic cooperation agreement between the Egyptian Knowledge Bank and the Arab Board of Health Specialties to promote digital transformation in the medical training system and support health capacity building at the Arab level.

The report added that the minister signed a cooperation protocol between the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina to open the Bibliotheca Alexandrina's Embassy of Knowledge within the Egyptian Office for Cultural and Educational Relations in Berlin, Germany.

The report also mentioned Dr. Ayman Ashour's participation in the regional dialogue organized by the British Council as part of its Going Global Partnerships program, in line with the Cross-Border Education Strategy 2025–2027.

The report added that Dr. Ayman Ashour inspected educational buildings and facilities belonging to the General Federation of Egyptian Trade Unions in Nasr City to assess the structural condition of the site, which covers an area of 5 acres, and to discuss mechanisms for transforming it into an advanced technological educational edifice that serves the workforce and students.

The report noted that the Ministers of Higher Education and Education received the Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology during an official visit to the Egyptian Japanese Kozan Institute in 10th of Ramadan City. The visit included a tour of the institute, including laboratories and training workshops, and viewing samples of student projects.

The report added that the minister chaired several important meetings, most notably: the meeting of the Council of National Universities, the meeting of the Council of National Universities, and the meeting of the Board of Directors of the Science, Technology and Innovation Funding Authority.

The report concluded with a review of the most prominent meetings held by the minister with ambassadors, officials, university presidents, and foreign delegations, where he met with the French ambassador to Cairo and his accompanying delegation to follow up on the latest developments regarding the university's new campus project, He also met with the Mauritanian ambassador to Cairo to discuss ways to enhance cooperation in the fields of higher education and scientific research between the two countries, received the Tajik ambassador to Cairo to discuss prospects for cooperation between the two sides, and met with the Djiboutian Minister of Education to discuss ways to promote joint cooperation between the two sides and expand the teaching of Arabic in Djibouti, and English language teaching, as well as discussing ways to enhance joint academic cooperation with the President of the University of Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom and a delegation from the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, and meeting with a delegation from the International Organization for the Development of Education (OBREAL) to discuss ways to enhance joint cooperation, in addition to meeting with the Director of the UNESCO Office in Cairo to enhance the role of the UNESCO Office in Cairo in line with the current needs of Egypt and the region, support the capacities of technical and administrative staff, and facilitate communication with international organizations, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of education, scientific research, and innovation programs.

Dr. Adel Abdel Ghaffar, media advisor and official spokesperson for the ministry, said that the council witnessed the signing of a cooperation protocol between Luxor University and Assiut University, with the aim of cooperation between the two parties in the fields of education, teaching, scientific research, scientific seminars, scientific conferences, and organizing training and research programs at the postgraduate level.

The official spokesperson added that the council listened to a presentation by Dr. Gina El-Feki, Acting President of the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology and General Supervisor of the Egyptian Knowledge Bank, on the many services provided by the Egyptian Knowledge Bank, which contribute to supporting the efforts of universities to improve the educational and research system. Interactive and diverse workshops were organized, universities were supported in their transition to fourth-generation universities, and scientific publishing was supported. The number of scientific journals published rose to about 1,119 in Arabic and English, including 516 in Arabic. The number of downloads of full texts from local journals also increased, in addition to supporting continuous learning, developing the education system, improving the quality of scientific research, and enabling researchers and young people to compete globally, as a cultural development project and a long-term investment in human capital.

The Council followed up on the efforts of the committee formed under the chairmanship of Dr. Hossam Osman, Deputy Minister for Innovation, Artificial Intelligence and Scientific Research, to set the criteria and timetable for the competition for the best universities in the areas of the national strategy for higher education and scientific research, to be held periodically starting from the academic year 2025/2026.

The Council also followed up on the efforts of the committee formed under the chairmanship of Dr. Abdelaziz Konsowa, President of Alexandria University, to promote Egyptian universities through various platforms, by producing diverse digital content that addresses target groups at home and abroad and establishing effective international partnerships for cross-border education.

The Council followed up on the efforts of the committee formed under the chairmanship of Dr. Abdelaziz Tantawy, President of New Valley University, to prepare a study on the project to allocate 16,000 acres of state-owned land in New Valley Governorate to the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research for research purposes.

The Council discussed mechanisms for renewing licenses and technical support for information network protection devices at public universities to protect them from cyber-attacks and breaches.