The branch of St Petersburg University in Egypt commences student training in the autumn of 2023
The founding documents for the establishment of a branch of St Petersburg University in Cairo have been signed at St Petersburg University in collaboration with the Modern Group of Companies. The documents were signed by Elena Chernova, Senior Vice-Rector of St Petersburg University, and Waleed Mohammad Nabil Daabas, General Director of the Modern Group of Companies.
During the ceremony, Elena Chernova emphasised the University’s active engagement in the federal education export project. St Petersburg University has established eight foreign representative offices, over 100 Russian language centres in 50 countries worldwide, a campus in China, and a branch in Uzbekistan. Additionally, it has consistently ranked as the most popular Russian university in the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo) ratings for the past five years. Elena Chernova stated that ‘St Petersburg University is one of the oldest Russian universities, and will celebrate its 300th anniversary in 2024. It is also a leading player in the global education market. The export of Russian education is a top priority set by the President of the Russian Federation and the Minister of Science and Higher Education. We view the establishment of this branch as a gateway to the Middle East. With the help of our Egyptian partners, the University will be able to implement its academic programmes in Egypt and, hopefully, throughout the entire region.’
The Senior Vice-Rector further mentioned that the Modern Group of Companies is one of the largest companies in Egypt specialising in education services, the pharmaceutical industry, and construction. Their direct agreements with the Ministry of Health and Population of the Arab Republic of Egypt for utilising the country’s clinical facilities will enable the University to train highly skilled doctors according to the programmes offered by St Petersburg University.
The establishment of the university is one of the projects under the Russian-Egyptian strategic partnership and will undoubtedly contribute to the regional economic and social development of both Egypt and the Russian Federation.
Elena Chernova, Senior Vice-Rector of St Petersburg University
Waleed Mohammad Nabil Daabas, General Director of the Modern Group of Companies, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Modern University for Technology and Information, stated that education in Egypt is currently receiving strong support. Also, efforts have been made to make the country more open to international students. There is a high demand for studying in Egyptian universities among both compatriots and applicants from other Arab countries.
‘After researching numerous universities around the world, we have chosen St Petersburg University as the best fit for our requirements. St Petersburg University holds a prestigious educational rank, and its lecturers and professors possess the qualifications and competencies that should be implemented in the Arab world, starting with the Arab Republic of Egypt,’ said Waleed Mohammad Nabil Daabas. ‘It is a great honour for us to initiate cooperation with your university. Thank you for your collaboration, and I hope that through our joint educational institution, Russia will reach the Middle East.’
Konstantin Mogilevsky, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, participated in the ceremony through a video conference. He mentioned that educational ties between the two countries are actively developing, with Egyptian students comprising almost 50% of all students from the African continent studying in Russia. Over the past five years, the number of Egyptian students has increased sevenfold. He emphasised that Russian education is among the best in the world and supported the choice of major Russian universities, especially St Petersburg University, as partners for cooperation with Egyptian counterparts.
During the ceremony, Ivan Molotkov, Deputy Director of the Department of the Middle East and North Africa of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, congratulated the participants and expressed confidence in the success and continuation of this initiative upon signing the founding documents for the establishment of the new educational institution in Cairo.
Initially, the new university will specialise in training individuals in five academic programmes: ‘General Medicine’, ‘Pharmacy’, ‘Nursing’, ‘Dental Medicine’, and ’Physiotherapy’. In future, various programmes relevant to the economy of Egypt and the Middle East, such as ‘Economics’, ‘Management’, and ‘Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning’, are planned to be implemented. Diplomas at all education levels will strictly adhere to the educational standards of St Petersburg University and generally accepted international quality standards.
The admission process for applicants will commence in early August, following the announcement of final exam results. A committee will also be established in the near future to visit Egypt and discuss matters related to the selection of teaching staff. By the end of the first academic year in New Cairo, the construction of new buildings that will house the university will be completed.