Beni Suef Technological University (BST) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), in partnership with Egypt's Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, held a conference on higher technical education with the title, 'Higher Technological Education: The Egyptian-South Korean Experience.' The event highlighted the achievements and lessons-learned from cooperating to develop a technological university in Beni Suef and to ensure that quality education is provided in a sustainable manner. The conference also dealt with the current status of Egypt's vocational education system, the Egyptian-Korean Technological University as a model for higher technical education in Egypt, and other technological universities established in Egypt as part of national efforts to develop the country's vocational education. The event was attended by Korea's Ambassador in Cairo Hong Jin-Wook, Deputy Minister for University Affairs Mohamed Ayman Ashour, Governor of Beni Suef Mohamed Hani Ghoneim, President of Beni Suef University Mohamed Shokr Nada, Chairperson of Samsung Electronics in Egypt Kwon Choon-ki, and KOICA's Country Director for Egypt Oh Yeon Keum, along with many other distinguished partners from government, various industries, and universities. Based on the Egyptian government's initiative, Korea and Egypt have been exerting efforts to enhance the quality of technical education for youths in BST and build up a better linkage with the industry in Upper Egypt. Consequently, BST has recently obtained the official accreditation to the ICT and Mechatronics programmes from the Accreditation Board of Engineering Education of Korea (ABEEK). Through this accreditation, the University has become the first technological university in Egypt and the Arab region to obtain recognition from overseas for its technical education quality. BST has also developed various partnership with industries, one of which is the cooperation protocol with Samsung Electronics in Beni Suef for providing training opportunity for students. Moreover, the university has built strong networks with various local companies and institutions to prepare students to meet the various demands of the labour market. For his part, Hong expressed an expectation to refine the roadmap for developing technical education through the two countries' cooperation, acknowledging "the ever-flourishing bilateral relationship for sustainable development in many different aspects." He also declared that the "Korean government is preparing for the next phase of cooperation to sponsore quality education and youth employment in Beni Suef with an $8m grant." Furthermore, Ashour expressed his satisfaction in witnessing the achievements of BST and stressed the importance of maintaining the support being extended to the university and "the cooperation between the Korean and Egyptian government, as well as the private sector for the development of technological education in Egypt." Additionally, Ghoneim noted that the "conference represents a unique opportunity and a serious step in advancing the efforts of the Egyptian government to link graduates with the labour market and create new opportunities in the technical education field as per Egypt's 2030 Vision." He added that "Egyptian-Korean cooperation in establishing a technological university in Beni Suef added a competitive advantage to the governorate, especially in terms of investment, industry, agricultural manufacturing, and many other sectors."
