The Japanese Department at Cairo University's Faculty of Arts won the Japanese Foundation prize, for over 36 years of Japanese instruction in Egypt and the Middle East. The acting president of Cairo University, Hussein Khalid, said that the prize came with 3 million Japanese Yen (U.S. $38, 500) to support cultural and educational programs in the department. The prize will be used for the university's international cooperation activities to enhance the university's ranking among international universities. The head of the Japanese Department, Karam Khalil, said that the Japanese foundation has presented this prize to cultural exchange programs with Japan since the foundation was established in 1973.