Cairo - President Abdel Fattah El Sisi called on Saturday for exerting more efforts to improve education and overcome challenges that face its development. During a meeting with Prime Minister Sherif Ismail and Minister of Higher Education Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, the president said the educational institutions are requested to provide students with the necessary tools to improve their skills needed by the labor market. The president urged the minister to start establishing an education and innovation zone in the new capital. The president said this zone should include branches of public and international universities. They also took up a higher education development strategy, said presidential spokesman Alaa Youssef. Abdel Ghaffar briefed the meeting on challenges that face the higher education sector which provides services to up to 2.9 million students, Youssef added. The ministry has made agreements to increase seats for students at private universities and higher education institutions, the minister added. Also, doubling the number of scholarships is a priority, Abdel Ghaffar pointed out.
