Prof. Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, chaired an emergency meeting of the Supreme Council of Universities on Tuesday evening, in the presence of Dr. Mustafa Refaat, Secretary of the Supreme Council of Universities, and members of the Council, and Dr. Ehab Abdel Rahman, Vice Dean for Academic Affairs at the American University in Cairo, in an online system.

The meeting discussed the problem of students enrolled in Egyptian universities on scholarships provided by the United States Agency for International Development, following the decision to suspend all USAID programs worldwide for 90 days.

The meeting discussed the status of 1,077 undergraduate students on USAID scholarships distributed among Egyptian public, private and civil universities (877 students) and the American University in Cairo (200 students).

Within the framework of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research's keenness on the academic future of scholarship students and their support, Dr. Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, affirmed the ministry's commitment to supporting its children from students of these scholarships in various universities in Egypt, and stressed the close cooperation between the ministry and universities in a way that serves the interest of students in continuing their academic career, considering that education is a fundamental pillar for building a bright future for them and for the country.

Dr. Adel Abdel Ghaffar, the media advisor and official spokesperson for the ministry, stated that the meeting concluded with the need to overcome any obstacles facing scholarship students as follows:

Emphasizing the consideration of the future of our children, scholarship students in all Egyptian universities (governmental, private and civil) that fall under the supervision of the Supreme Council of Universities, from the repercussions of this temporary decision.

In this regard, the universities will adhere to all the allocations and tuition fees that the US Agency allocated to our students until the end of the second semester, and the ministry and universities will remain committed to supporting these students to face any future challenges.

The council was informed that the American University will bear the expenses of Egyptian students registered with the scholarship (200 students) during the second semester, with continued coordination with the ministry in this regard in the future.