The Sino North-Africa Education Innovation Association and the Supreme Council of Technological Education, Egypt Signed Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation

On May 19th, local time in Cairo, Zhao Yuling, Deputy Secretary-General of Sino-North Africa Education Innovation Association, SNAEIA, visited the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Egypt and formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Educational Cooperation with the Supreme Council of Technical Education an entity under the Ministry.

The MOU aims to implement the consensus reached by the heads of state of China and Egypt on enhancing strategic collaboration in education. It further seeks to deepen high-level educational cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and Egypt’s 2030 Vision, and to advance collaborative innovation and development in the internationalization of technical education.

Two parties will adhere to the principle of “mutual benefit and common development” and carry out practical cooperation in areas such as the export of educational standards, joint scientific research, technical talent training, joint education program, enhancing the cross-cultural communication skills of teachers and students, and international skills competitions. Among them, the joint education program will adopt the models of “2+2+1” and “2+1” to achieve curriculum alignment and mutual credit recognition aims at cultivating interdisciplinary talent proficient for both Chinese and Egyptian educational technologies and cultures to serve for emerging industries in two countries. The export of educational standards will draw upon China’s advanced experience in vocational education to promote the alignment of Egypt’s technical education system with professional curriculum standards in fields such as new energy, artificial intelligence, and modern agriculture. Furthermore, a “Chinese Language + Vocational Skills Base” will be jointly established to advance language training, cultural exchange, and skills development. The two parties will also co-host international skills competitions to create an international platform for competition and exchange between young technical talents from China and Egypt.

Representatives from the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Egypt attended the signing ceremony and stated that the Egyptian government has always regarded educational cooperation as an important component of the comprehensive strategic partnership between Egypt and China. In recent years, with the strong support of both governments, the two sides have achieved fruitful results in higher education, including the establishment of university alliances, scientific research collaboration, and joint construction of laboratories. The MOU signed do expand the scope of international cooperation further in Egypt’s technical education, accelerating the development of skilled talent and industrial upgrading in Egypt. Zhao Yuling, Deputy Secretary-General of the SNAEIA, emphasized that the SNAEIA will fully leverage its role as a bridge, a foundational platform, a backbone force, and a friendly ambassador to promote the in-depth of educational cooperation between the two countries.

The signing of the MOU is a concrete step in implementing the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Dakar Action Plan. Over the next four years, both parties will regularly and irregularly conduct project dialogues and implementation assessments in accordance with the provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), to ensure that the cooperation is pragmatic and efficient. Amid the transformation of digital economy and high-quality development while the collaboration will inject new vitality into the cultivation and reserve of high-quality, multi-disciplinary technical talent in both countries and will provide a replicable model for educational cooperation to support the construction and development for “Future Africa Plan”.