A meeting with international students at the Faculty of Al-Alsun on the second day of the cultural week

The Cultural Relations Committee of the Graduate Studies and Research Sector at the Faculty of Al-Alsun, Ain Shams University, organized a meeting entitled “The Efforts of Ain Shams University and the Faculty of Al-Alsun in the Field of International Students”, on the second day of its cultural week entitled “Cairo in Literature and Art”, under the auspices of Prof. Dr. Mahmoud El-Matini, President of the University, Prof. Dr. Abdel Fattah Saud, Vice President for Education and Student Affairs, a. Dr.. Ayman Saleh, Vice President for Graduate Studies and Research, Prof. Dr. Salwa Rashad, Dean of the Faculty, and the supervision of Prof. Dr. Ashraf Attia, Vice Dean for Graduate Studies and Research, Prof. Dr. Yomna Azmy, Assistant Professor of the Spanish Language Department and Rapporteur of the Cultural Relations Committee at the faculty.

Prof. Dr. Salwa Rashad, Dean of the Faculty, opened the meeting, in the presence of Prof. Dr. Nasser Abdel Aal, Vice Dean for Education and Student Affairs, Dr. Sherwat Al-Ahmadi, Director of the Central Administration for International Students at the University, Dr. Hagar Medhat Saif Al-Nasr, Head of the Central Administration for International Student Affairs in the Cultural Affairs and Missions Sector at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and Dr. Elham Badr, Director of the Immigrants Office at the faculty.

During her speech, Prof. Dr. Salwa Rashad, Dean of the Faculty, said that the Faculty of Al-Alsun is the Faculty of the Gateway to International Relations, noting that the Faculty has entered into partnerships with various universities of the world, and has students from abroad, and in this context, the Faculty’s administration has signed an agreement with the Department of Interpretation of the United Nations, based in New York City, with the aim of maximizing the benefit of the Faculty students from the skills of interpretation.

She went on to explain that the interest in international students comes at the top of the priorities of Egyptian universities within the directions of the Egypt 2030 strategy, and falls under the umbrella of the "Study in Egypt" initiative launched by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, stressing that the general trend in Egyptian universities today is in the direction of developing the vision of the future universities and the pursuit of keeping pace with the global progress in the field of upgrading higher education systems, with the aim of enhancing the position of Egyptian universities in international rankings and upgrading them.

She continued her speech, pointing out that Faculty of Al-Alsun is one of the pioneering facultys and has a great history of receiving students from all over the world, as a unit for non-Arabic speakers was established in 1994, and witnessed the graduation of a large number of students who have now obtained a doctorate degree, and the faculty is unique in the world level has an international program for the Arabic language for non-native speakers, and it works to provide wide services to all departments of the faculty, as it depends on translation from and into the Arabic language.

She stressed that the faculty administration is working according to a strategy to provide all means of support to our non-Egyptian students, and is working to help and care for them and provide them with all aspects of care, and we still maintain our regional and international reputation in receiving students.

She explained that Ain Shams University is witnessing a qualitative leap by providing full support to all university faculties to develop the infrastructure and introduce a large number of educational programs; In cooperation with major international universities at the level of the bachelor's - master's and postgraduate levels, with the aim of keeping pace with global developments in the field of university education, she referred to two international programs in postgraduate studies in partnership with the German University of Leipzig, five batches of whom graduated, and a joint master's degree with the University of Salamanca, Spain, with the sixth batch graduating .

Prof. Dr. Nasser Abdel Aal, Vice Dean for Education and Student Affairs, pointed out that the establishment of a central unit for the care of expatriates at the university and a branch at the Faculty of Al-Alsun began a long time ago, and the aim of its establishment was to reach the entry of international students to all the language departments of the Faculty, and the unit also works to create an atmosphere of participation among Egyptian students And expatriates in various activities, to break the psychological barrier and integrate the foreign student with the Egyptian within the Faculty of Al-Alsun, and to achieve the maximum scientific and social benefit for the incoming students.

While Dr. Hager Medhat Seif El-Nasr, Head of the Central Department for International Student Affairs in the Cultural Affairs and Missions Sector at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, stressed the importance of the presence of expatriate students in various Facultys and universities in Egypt, especially since the Faculty of Al-Alsun at Ain Shams University is the fortress that produces cadres specialized in languages and many are launched. Some of them are under the umbrella of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to represent the Egyptian state in various parts of the world.

She continued her speech, noting that Ain Shams University was one of the first Egyptian universities to establish a sector for international relations, and aimed at cultural exchange and receiving visitors from abroad, and these works fall under the umbrella of achieving the eight axes of "Egypt Vision 2030", which is based on ways of sustainable development, to use Egypt Its soft powers help establish its well-deserved position in the ranks of the leading countries in various fields, especially higher education.

She stressed that the Faculty of Al-Alsun at Ain Shams University is a global body and a leading destination for international students from all over the world, as the promotion of various programs and exceptional study opportunities at the Faculty of Al-Alsun contribute to increasing the number of international students and allowing them to integrate into Egyptian society and culture.

While Dr. Sherweit Al-Ahmadi, Director of International Students and Mobility office at the university, thanked the faculty administration for its efforts in upgrading the educational process and attracting international students to study in it through its various programs and their care for expatriates, stressing that Ain Shams University headed by Prof. Dr. Mahmoud El-Metini, she was a pioneer at the level of Egyptian universities in establishing the International Relations and Academic Cooperation Sector, headed by Prof. Dr. Shahira Samir, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Executive Director of the sector, and the sector has developed an effective strategy in coordination with the university faculties, to advance the level of international students at the university, and announced that Ain Shams University today includes students from 84 nationalities from all over the world, and indicated that the Faculty of Al-Alsun played a pivotal role in Achieving the goals of the new sector was the most important of which was to allocate two days a week to teach non-Arabic speaking students the grammar of the language to integrate them into studies at Ain Shams University in its various faculties.

She continued her speech, stressing that the sector represents the link between the sector, a cycle that is the link between students and the central administration for foreign students at the Ministry of Higher Education, as well as providing recreational activities, trips, festivals and cultural seminars for foreign students, and involving them in activities at the level of Egypt and abroad.

Also Dr. Elham Badr, Director of the Expatriate Office at the faculty, said that international students are part of the Faculty that is integrated into various cultural and artistic activities and the Student Union, and we seek to solve the problems of international students quickly, noting that the coordinators of the scientific departments are making a great effort in guiding and caring for the arrivals in all possible ways. The unit is working on enumerating the national holidays of the countries of the incoming students to share their occasions and congratulate them on all occasions.

The events witnessed a speech by the student Mansour Akram from the state of Yemen, where he confirmed that he was among the students of the Faculty of Al-Alsun at Ain Shams University who participated in the activities of the Mansoura University Forum, and that he felt proud while raising the flag of Ain Shams University in the parade queue on the first day of the forum, and considers himself An Egyptian ambassador in the State of Yemen, and he is the first student, accompanied by a sister, to study the Chinese language at the Faculty of Al-Alsun at Ain Shams University from their region in the State of Yemen. He thanked Egypt, the people and the government, for its white hands on the Arab country in general.

A non-Arabic speaking student from Kazakhstan who obtained a bachelor's degree from the Faculty of Al-Alsun at Ain Shams University participated and is now preparing to discuss a master's degree in the coming days at the Faculty.

In conclusion, Prof. Dr. Salwa Rashad, Dean of the Faculty, honored the outstanding international students, and the audience witnessed musical performances by the international students.