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Egypt University of Informatics Seeks to Prepare New Cadres of Technology Leaders

As Arab higher education institutions strive to keep pace with the rapid growth in technological innovations, the Egypt University of Informatics (EUI) stands out as a private university specialised in information and communication technology in the Middle East and Africa.

Reem Bahgat, president of the university, seeks to link students to the local and international labour markets through programmes and partnerships with international universities.

In an interview, Bahgat told Al -Fanar Media that the idea behind the university was to meet Egypt’s need for information and communication technology majors specialized in fields like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data science and engineering, electronics design and networks.

These specialties are quite important for health and media sectors, Bahgat said, and the share of professionals in these areas in the labour market is growing remarkably, not only in Egypt but worldwide. “Hence came the state’s interest in establishing a university specialised in those areas, so as to graduate world-class cadres” of highly trained experts in these fields, she added. 

“We studied the academic programmes offered at prestigious international universities, and put our programmes in compliance with them, besides agreements with major international universities, such as Purdue University–West Lafayette, in the United States.”

Reem Bahgat, president of Egypt University of Informatics

The university has four colleges: Engineering, Computer and Information Science, Business Technology, and Digital Arts and Design. It was established by a decision of Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El -Sisi in August 2021 as a nonprofit, private university. It is located in the Knowledge City in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital, outside Cairo.

The decree on establishing EUI indicates that the university aims to contribute to raising the education and scientific research standard, and providing scientific majors to prepare specialists, technicians and experts in various fields, in a way that links its goals to the needs of the advanced society, and the performance of research services for others. 

World-Class Graduates

In order to produce a new generation of world-class leaders in these fields, Bahgat said: “We studied the academic programmes offered at prestigious international universities and put our programmes in compliance with them, besides agreements with major international universities, such as Purdue University–West Lafayette, in the United States.”

Under the agreement with Purdue University, whose of Engineering was ranked as one of the top five engineering schools in the United States in the 2023 rankings by US News & World Report, she noted,  EUI students can earn a dual degree with the American institution in computer engineering, electronics and communications engineering.

The university also keeps pace with international standards of laboratories at foreign partner universities, so that students can have an experience similar to those who are studying abroad.

In this regard, Bahgat noted the conclusion of an agreement with the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities, which ranked 34th in computer science in the 2023 US News rankings.

The Faculty of Computer Science at Egypt University of Informatics also benefits from an agreement with the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management, while other agreements are still under study.

These agreements allow university students, if they take their senior year in partner universities, after matching their courses, to obtain a dual degree from their alma mater and the foreign university, said Bahgat.

Bahgat explained that Egypt’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the founder and supporter of the university, aims to graduate world-class cadres to meet the needs of the labour market, and attract foreign companies to invest in Egypt, thus activating the market in these areas.

The Impact of the Knowledge City 

The university is also working to connect students with the industrial sector. “We have signed agreements with prominent international and local IT companies, including Microsoft, Teradata, and IBM. Other companies are on the way,” said Bahgat. “This enhances the practical aspects of the university’s curricula, giving students access to the tools and platforms that these companies offer, in addition to field training.”

“We have signed agreements with prominent international and local IT companies, including Microsoft, Teradata, and IBM. … This enhances the practical aspects of the university’s curricula, giving students access to the tools and platforms that these companies offer, in addition to field training.”

Reem Bahgat

The university’s location in the Knowledge City contributes to its success, Bahgat said, connecting it with institutions like the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Information Technology Institute, the National Telecommunications Institute (NTI), and the National Academy for Persons with Disabilities, an applied research center.

“The university is cooperating with the Academy of Persons with Disabilities in providing applications, programmes and research that benefit this segment of society,” she added. “These institutions offer specialised training programmes for university students and graduates, in cooperation with specialised companies in these fields, which helps students benefit from practical training programmes of these institutes.”

The Knowledge City also hosts the headquarters of emerging and specialised companies, including five companies in embedded systems, and five companies in electronics design.

The second phase of the city entails establishing four 14-story towers, where students can study theoretical courses while gaining practical experience through opportunities like getting an internship in a company or being part of a project team, Bahgat said.

High-Quality Students 

Bahgat believes that graduating cadres of young experts with international specifications requires students with special standards.

Egypt University of Informatics is supervised by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, she said, and the ministry determines the minimum average for students’ admission in the university.

The university took the ministry’s standards into account in awarding grants of varying amounts, up to full scholarships, to outstanding students, Bahgat said. “This improves the quality of our students and raises education standards that benefit all students.”

The university awarded 29 full scholarships in its first year, and 21 full scholarships in the current year.

As for linking students to the labour market, Bahgat said the university’s courses include soft skills, in addition to academic and theoretical knowledge, and practical experiences, with a focus on entrepreneurship and creativity in some faculties.

“We also have a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation at the College of Business Technology,” said added. “We seek the help of professors specialising in teaching creativity and innovation, along with industrialists.”

“As a woman, I faced no difficulties in my academic career. I believe that academia does not differentiate between men and women, and needs people with diligence and vision, a good choice of the work team, future planning, and flexibility.”

Reem Bahgat

Bahgat said the university realises that some graduates want to form their own businesses and are not interested in seeking a job in the market. So the university works to develop their skills, provide them with tools, and additional extracurricular activities. They are offered strong English language programs, training in soft skills in some courses, besides additional summer activities.

Strong Engagement of Women

Women currently make up about 20 percent of the students, but Bahgat expects this percentage to increase in the coming years. “Our academic programmes attract both young men and women, and both sexes have the opportunity to work in these fields, because they are related to jobs that do not require specific physical abilities, but mental strength, good training, knowledge, information, and skills,” she said. “When I was a computer science student, I took those reasons into consideration to join this field.”

About her being chosen to lead a prestigious academic institution, Bahgat said that competence in an academic career is a key factor, regardless of gender. “We work hard. As a woman, I faced no difficulties in my academic career,” she said. “I believe that academia does not differentiate between men and women, and needs people with diligence and vision, a good choice of the work team, future planning, and flexibility.”

She added that women in higher education tend to have an advantage in their non-aggressive management style, and “a way of solving problems that better suits the nature of relationships among academics and provides a comfortable and encouraging work environment.” What some women may lack, she said, is an ability to make decisions without hesitation.

The deans of the university’s four faculties include two men and two women, Bahgat said, but those choices “were not based on gender-based quotas in senior management, but rather on previous work experience, a résumé, and interviews.”

Reem Bahgat, president of Egypt University of Informatics, says the institution prepares young people for jobs in demand.

The same standards apply to teaching assistants and administrators, she added. “We are keen to create a work environment that boosts cooperation and interdependence. We may differ in opinions, but we move forward together.”

Pointing to her glass-walled office, she said: “We all see each other, and move effectively to take any action in any matter. This increases familiarity and unity of purpose, and this is helped by the relatively small number of students at the present time. With the completion of the university buildings and a surge in the number of students, things might change.”

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