Private funds have been secured for building a German university here aimed at giving young Egyptians the technical and management skills needed in a global economy, project directors said Wednesday, July 4.
Plans for a university linked to those in Stuttgart and Ulm come amid similar efforts to build French and British universities in Egypt, according to Ashraf Mansour, head of the founding committee for the German university.
"One-third of the funds is already allocated in an Egyptian bank account," which the law requires before work can begin on building the institution, Mansour told AFP.
Pending government approval, the university's foundation stone will be laid in October 21 this year and the first buildings will open their doors to a small number of students in October 2002, Mansour said.
The first phase of the project calls for faculties of information technology, media technology and management technology, supported by a budget of around 50 million pounds ($13 million).
The second phase of the project calls for faculties of biotechnology and material science, he said. Each faculty will have 150 students.
The universities in Ulm and Stuttgart will provide technical assistance and ensure that students graduating from the institution in Cairo will have the same standard as their counterparts in Germany, he said.
The German embassy in Cairo said it is lending its support to the project.
Mansour, who has a PHD in polymer physics from Ulm University, said the Egyptian government has shown strong support for the German project, which has been in planning for three years, as well as other European universities. "I have no doubt all these universities will get approval from the Egyptian side," he said.
The German, French and British universities could pool resources by sharing research facilities and exchange students and staff. "We can benefit from the experience of each other," Mansour added.
Egypt has 18 public and private universities for its 66 million people, but should have at least a dozen more if it is to meet international standards of one university per two million people, he said. Germany, a country of around 80 million people, has 70 universities, he said. ― (AFP, Cairo)
© Agence France Presse 2001
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
