The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khaled Abdel Ghaffar has met with the Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat, on Monday, via videoconference, to follow up the implementation of the joint projects in digital transformation and information infrastructure between the two Ministries.
The meeting was attended by the Deputy ICT Minister for Infrastructure and the Director of the Telecommunication and Infrastructure Sector at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) Raafat Hindy, the Deputy Minister of Higher Education for University Affairs Mohammad Ayman Ashour, and the Assistant Minister of Higher Education for Digital Transformation Hesham Farouk.
Abdel Ghaffar underlined the importance of the digital universities project, carried out in cooperation with MCIT, with the aim of transforming the national universities into digital ones, and developing their information infrastructure to cover their requirements in achieving the digital transformation. He pointed out the most prominent areas of cooperation between the two Ministries, including implementing the automated exam system and the smart university applications project, with the aim to digitize universities and boost their technological infrastructure. This is in addition to automating university hospitals.
There are 11 joint projects between the two Ministries, with a budget of more than EGP 4.7 billion. On top of these projects is implementing the electronic exam system in national universities (medical colleges), the smart university applications, and the creative educational content initiative, said the Higher Education Minister. He stressed the need to conduct the second semester exams electronically, at medical colleges, in the largest possible number of universities.
For his part, the ICT Minister said that the two Ministries collaborate in a large number of joint projects for developing higher education using technology, as part of the efforts exerted to achieve digital transformation in all the State sectors, in light of Digital Egypt strategy, to qualify people in technology and create an environment conducive to digital innovation.
Talaat stated that an executive committee will be formed, in coordination between the two Ministries, to monitor and evaluate the status of the digital universities project and to provide the necessary technical support. The committee, in addition, will set the criteria that digital universities should meet, and a roadmap to achieve such criteria, with the aim of implementing the project in private universities.
The coming period will witness an expansion in the establishment of Creativa Innovation Hubs in regional universities, added the ICT Minister. This project is implemented in cooperation between the two Ministries to provide university students and young people in different governorates access to technical training, and to promote innovation and entrepreneurship among them.
The meeting discussed the finalized projects, including implementing follow-up systems for national projects; the assignment and follow-up system; the integrated documentary cycle, and the Learning Management System (LMS). The projects under implementation were also reviewed, including the smart university applications, the cooperation in technological communities in universities, and the establishment of specialized Internet of Things (IoT) laboratories.
From the Ministry of Higher Education, the meeting was attended by the Secretary of the Supreme Council of University Hospitals Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the Assistant Minister for Technical Affairs and Strategic Planning Mohamed El Tayeb, the Minister's Assistant for National Projects Anwar Ismail, the Head of the Development and Services Sector Ahmed El Sheikh, and the Director of the Digital Transformation Unit Nasser El Amir.
From MCIT, the meeting was attended by the Manager of the Technological Services Projects Unit at the Telecommunication and Infrastructure Sector Waleed Shalaby, the General Manager of the General Department for Technology Infrastructure Development Projects at the Information Infrastructure Sector Azza Yehia, the Manager of the Data Hosting Centers Equipment Department at the Telecommunication and Infrastructure Sector Farid Zaky, and the Manager of the Government Services Development for the Health Sector Department at the Information Infrastructure Sector Khaled Metwally.
