{Replik} How Germany wants to create the future in Egypt through knowledge: Education sponsoring on the Red Sea

I was in Egypt in December and got an impression of the situation in El Gouna as well as in Cairo. One of the most urgent Problems of the country is the missing Education – The reason for the economic situation as well as for the political one: every fifth Egyptian is illiterate and university graduates only have prospects of a good job if they have attended the expensive private universities. It is therefore commendable that the Germans wanted to start here. However, the “how” is questionable.

TU Berlin, El Gouna, Egypt

Under the heading “A new era: Background creates Future in Egypt” invited the Egyptian in mid-January message and the technical University Berlin to an information event on the El Gouna campus.

There, on the Red Sea, the Technical University of Berlin is setting up a satellite campus as a scientific branch. Starting in the winter semester 2012/13, the three advanced master's courses “Energy Engineering”, “Urban Development” and “Water Engineering” newly established by the TU will be offered.

The satellite campus is an outsider of the TU, which is subject both to the content and the structure exclusively to German university law, even if the language of instruction is English. An agreement was reached with the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education, which guarantees academic independence.

Promote education for the future of Egypt?

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On Einladung read it really great: It alluded to the "enthusiastic events" on Tahrir Square about a year ago (the recent events they ignored it) and wanted to emphasize the role of the project for the future of Egypt. It says:

“They stand by Significance of education and knowledge and above all the central role of the young generation for the sustainable development of Egypt.”

But that's not all: Klemens Semtner, head of the “Transformation Partnerships” team at the Federal Foreign Office and Peter Webers from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research also spoke in their speeches about the importance of the project for the future of Egypt.

This may well be the case for research: this is how El Gouna, which sees itself as a pioneer of ecological tourism in Egypt, indeed ecological urban development, wants to research and test regenerative energy generation or thermal insulation, for example.

Public Private Partnership with the El Gouna founder

Only the funds for it do not come from state subsidies, but from a non-profit Public Private Partnership (PPP) with the builder of El Gouna, Samih Sawiris.

Sawiris is himself an alumnus - he studied industrial engineering in 1976 to 1980 in Berlin - and apparently was so impressed by the German educational system that he invested 38 millions in the construction and maintenance of the buildings. A German hotel school in El Gouna already exists.

That such large-scale projects need a private sponsor, who can help the graduates, who are also needed for the work, even after graduation - this is a WinWin situation for all involved. And as such, not reprehensible. Whereby the influence, the Companys then have the universities or would like to have to see quite critical.

5.000 Euro per semester, but only 7 scholarships

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What is less nice is that the German government is acting as if they want to promote education in Egypt and do something good for the country. That is only partly the case. And that's because the whole thing likes to generously overlook one detail: A study place costs 5.000 euros. Per semester, per student.

Although it has been emphasized in the past that scholarships are available for every gifted student - in practice, however, this looks a bit different today, a good three months before the start of the semester, as Prof. Dr. Rudolf Schäfer, founding director of the Central Institute Campus El Gouna revealed in the interview:

Interview with the head of Campus El Gouna

So far, he has seven scholarships per degree program. That is more than in comparable degree programs in Germany. In addition, the study in Egypt is comparatively cheap - if you compare it with comparableCourses in Australia or Canada.

And on the occasion it will be the same clearWho the study in El Gouna addresses: Members of the Egyptian upper class who would otherwise emigrate abroad and now stay in the country. Of course, people from anywhere could too apply. However, the preferences are on Egypt and the Arab region. The interview is available in full here:

Candidates are sent directly from companies

In addition, the study program in El Gouna is not intended as a consecutive but a further master's course. This means that anyone applying for a degree has already completed a university degree and several years of professional experience. Or is sent directly from his company.

And even more: After I turned off my microphone, trust me Professor indicates that the companies with which the sponsor Sawiris establishes contacts probably do so themselves Candidates would suggest. The entire five-minute interview with Professor Dr. Schäfer is available here as MP3 for listening:

State institutions that support selective education

As I said, this practice is quite common in a private education market. It will be problematic if state-funded institutions, which should have an educational assignment for all, in this way support selective education.

It becomes even more difficult if, at the same time, governments attach this privately funded education as good deeds to the lapel. A real marketing scam!

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