Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s talk, during the 8th national youth conference, about education and the new universities due to be opened soon, gave me hope in our education.
Though, I was hoping that the expenses of these universities would match the economic situation of parents, to attract all students to a new type of education that we need badly, which is the applied education or applied universities.
The idea of these universities mainly depends on the “practical” education, thus its graduates become qualified with experience, skill, and ability to engage in the labor market from the first day. I wished to have such universities in Egypt.
It was my first time to hear about applied universities, when I attended a four-hour-long dialogue in Berlin on German education and applied universities, in the presence of German expert Dr. Christian Bouda, former President of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and Dr. Ashraf Mansour, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the German University in Cairo (GUC).
In fact, I had a misconception about these universities that they are far less efficient than the research ones, and the students are not allowed to get a Ph.D. Yet, after this long discussion, I wished I could see this system in Egypt. The dream would come true and would be a reality within a year.
After applying such system, Egypt will have youth capable of bringing change and progress... combining theoretical study with the practical work in factories, banks, hospitals, and commercial institutions.
I was not surprised by Dr. Bouda word that Germany has 107 research universities compared to 216 applied universities, and that they are seeking to expand this type of education to the same degree as in the Netherlands, in terms of the number of students enrolled in the applied universities.
Moreover, Dr. Mansour confirmed that this type of education may represent a rescue for higher education in Egypt, noting that applied universities are German education's real strength that provide human resources, representing Germany’s economy backbone.
I hope Egypt would become strong with a proper educational system that meets its needs and attract its sons at reasonable prices.
Contributed by Nada Mustafa
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