Thursday 29/January/2026 – 01:37 PM
Dr. Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, held a meeting with Dr. Ahmed Fouad Hanno, Minister of Cultureat the headquarters of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the New Capital; To discuss the executive steps to launch the national initiative to develop artistic and cultural activity in Egyptian universities, during the second semester, within the framework of joint cooperation between the two ministries, and to enhance the role of culture in building student awareness, and discovering and nurturing young talents.
The launch of the initiative comes within the framework of the Egyptian State’s Vision 2030, and based on the civilizational and historical role that Egypt plays as a center for cultural radiance, and the belief that cultural and artistic activities represent a fundamental pillar in building the Egyptian person, enhancing his national and social awareness, consolidating the values of belonging, and affirming the diverse Egyptian identity.
At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Ayman Ashour stressed that universities are no longer limited to the academic role only, but rather play a pivotal role in building the student’s personality culturally and intellectually, pointing out the importance of cooperation with the Ministry of Culture to discover student talents, enhance cultural awareness, and support creativity. This contributes to the preparation of an integrated graduate capable of active participation in building the new republic.
The Minister of Higher Education praised the efforts of the Ministry of Culture in cultural activities and exhibitions, most notably the Cairo International Book Fair, which has received about three million visitors so far, including 3,600 students from 18 universities, stressing that cooperation between the two ministries opens broad horizons to benefit from student activities through future protocols and partnerships that enhance cultural identity within universities.
Dr. Ayman Ashour pointed to the unprecedented boom in student activity in Egyptian universities, pointing to the implementation of qualitative programs such as “University Casting” and the “Medterm” series, which exceeded one billion views on social media platforms in cooperation with the United Media Services Company, in addition to the continuation and expansion of the Egyptian Universities and Institutes League to include the “Egyptian Universities Olympiad,” stressing the use of cultural and sports activities in promoting belonging and correcting behaviors, and enhancing cooperation with the Civilizational Coordination Authority to support visual identity and Egyptian urbanism.
For his part, Dr. Ahmed Fouad Hanno, Minister of Culture, confirmed that the national initiative to develop artistic and cultural activity in its various branches in Egyptian universities represents a pivotal step towards the Ministry of Culture’s transition in all its sectors to direct field work within universities, in cooperation with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
The Minister of Culture explained that the initiative aims to restore the spirit of cultural life within universities of all classifications and in all governorates, create a sustainable context for cultural and artistic practices and events, discover, nurture and support young talents, and activate the role of the arts as an essential tool in cultural upbringing and building awareness.
He stressed the importance of supporting young people and investing in their talents and creative energy by organizing specialized training workshops in theater arts, including: acting, directing, playwriting, set design, lighting, costumes, music, and singing, in addition to organizing workshops to taste and learn the plastic arts (drawing, sculpture, graphics, visual design), and workshops in the field of cinema (screenwriting, photography, montage, directing techniques, and principles of film criticism), as well as workshops in literary writing (novels, short stories, poetry, article).
The initiative also includes allocating theatres, halls, and artistic exhibition spaces within universities, making the Art House theaters available for theater in Cairo and cultural palaces in the governorates for student artistic activities, and organizing annual festivals in the fields of theater and cinema in each of the six cultural regions, to be concluded with a comprehensive annual national festival to honor the best works in various fields.
The initiative aims to enhance theatrical activity at the university, discover and nurture artistic and literary talents in the fields of plastic arts, music, cinema and creative writing, and enhance community values and national belonging through artistic and literary works consistent with local culture and aesthetic standards, in addition to building sustainable bridges of cooperation between cultural and educational institutions.
The meeting also discussed implementation mechanisms, which include forming a higher coordination committee of representatives of the two ministries and universities, preparing a unified guideline for the standards of university artistic and cultural activities, recommending the allocation of an annual budget to support artistic and cultural production, in addition to cooperating with the National Media Authority to support the initiative in the media, and coordinating with sponsors and cultural institutions to support it financially and morally.
On the part of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the meeting witnessed the presence of Dr. Amr Allam, Assistant Minister for Institutional Development and Permanent Undersecretary of the Ministry, Dr. Adel Abdel Ghaffar, Media Advisor and Official Spokesman for the Ministry, Dr. Ahmed Ragheb, Assistant Minister for Student Life and Vice President of the Egyptian Sports Federation for Universities, Dr. Karim Hammam, Advisor to the Minister for Student Activities and Director of the Leadership Development Institute in Helwan, Dr. Atef Omar, Legal Advisor to the Minister, and Professor Mohamed Ghanem, Head of the Central Administration for Affairs of the Minister’s Office.
On the part of the Ministry of Culture, Mr. Amr Al-Basiouni, Permanent Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture, Dr. Alaa Abdel Salam, President of the Egyptian Opera House, Major General Khaled Al-Labban, Assistant Minister of Culture for the Presidency of the General Authority for Culture Palaces, artist Hisham Atwa, Head of the Theater Sector, director Adel Hassan, Head of the National Center for Theater, Music and Popular Arts, Dr. Ahmed Saleh, Head of the National Cinema Center, and Professor Radwa Hashem, Media Advisor to the Ministry of Culture, attended.
