There’s a growing Russian presence in our education space: Over the past several weeks, Russia has announced a number of new programs and investments in Egypt’s education sector, including the planned opening of the first Russian school in Egypt in the upcoming academic year, courtesy of Synergy institution. The increasing Russian investment in our education sector comes both as a move to tap into a growing space for foreign investment in local education, and to encourage the flow of Egyptian students looking to study in Russia.

The goal? Driving Egyptian students’ interest in Russian education: The opening of such schools is designed to encourage Egyptian students towards attending Russian universities by creating local exposure to the Russian education system, Russia’s Consul General in Hurghada Viktor Vorobiev, is quoted as saying by RT.

Russian universities are opening branches in Egypt: On the higher education level, the Russian University of St. Petersburg is on track to set up a branch in New Cairo, while the Kazan Federal University is opening a branch in 6th of October City. The branches will be hosted by a university named the Modern Group University Foundation, which the Madbouly Cabinet approved in October. The Egyptian branches of both universities offer programs in general medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy.

REMEMBER- Foreign branches have become increasingly popular in the past few years:After ratifying the International Branch Campus Act in 2018, Egypt allowed international universities to set up local branches by building their own campus or partnering with an Egyptian company. The program has largely been successful, with several international universities moving to open branches in Egypt, including Portugal’s Nova University, the European Universities in Egypt to host the UK’s University of London and University of Central Lancashire, and the University of Texas, to name a few.

How will these university branches be run? The universities will have councils headed by the president of each branch. Also sitting on this council will be the directors of the programs offered, as well as representatives from our Higher Education Ministry. This council will be in charge of academic supervision, ensuring that the operations of the institutions match the standards of quality set by the parent institutions. It will also manage the university in terms of scientific research and administrative affairs, determining the number of students and the tuition fees charged for each program.

Scholarships and financial aid: The establishment of these branches was conditioned on the provision of full and and partial scholarships, in accordance with the practice at the parent university — both for academic and athletic excellence. Based on specific parameters, the awarding of these scholarships will be down to the Higher Education Ministry, to students with outstanding academic and athletic performances. The number of annual scholarships awarded to Egyptian students studying in Russia has also been increased to 318, said Russian Cultural Centers head Murad Gatin.

We have a keen partner in Russia: So far, 18 Russian universities have held exhibitions in Egypt to recruit students, reflecting the country’s interest in cooperating with Egypt, our sources indicate.

…And a local sector ripe for investments: Egypt is open to foreign investments in its education sector, especially ones from countries that have a strong history in the field of education, as well as a strong tradition in scientific research, transfer of expertise, and scientific exchange, a source from the Higher Education Ministry told Enterprise. Pulling in these investments can strengthen Egyptian students’ prospects of meeting the expectations of the job market, the ministry source said.

Moving with the greater trend of internationalizing education in Egypt: There is a general direction to internationalize the education sector, including through inviting foreign branch campuses, as well as allowing Egyptian students to complete the foundation year of foreign universities in Egyptian universities to prepare to travel abroad for study. This is both a step towards a more international education system, as well as a way to combat brain drain.

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