German-Egyptian University Insights
Students from Egypt Talk to Fellow Students at Freie Universität about Participation in Higher Education
№ 25/2012 from Feb 10, 2012
At the invitation of Freie Universität, students from the University of Cairo have traveled to Berlin to talk with fellow students in the German capital about student participation and the development of democratic structures in higher education. Through February 17, the 16 Egyptian students will be gathering information about various student projects, counseling services for students, dormitories, and dining halls. They will be meeting with representatives of Freie Universität and the University of Leipzig. The exchange is being organized by the Liaison Office of Freie Universität in Cairo and supported by the German Academic Exchange Service. The dialogue is part of the close cooperation between Cairo University and Freie Universität.
For members of the media, it will be possible to interview students in the exchange group on Wednesday, February 15, 2012. Appointments will be scheduled in order of registrations received.
As part of the eight-day exchange program, the students will visit political institutions and museums, such as the German Parliament. They will also be having discussions with faculty and students from Freie Universität about the recent political developments in Egypt.
Besides its close cooperation with the University of Cairo, Freie Universität also partners with Ain Shams University and the American University in Cairo. Following the political upheavals in the region, Freie Universität has stepped up its activities in Egypt. The university's liaison office in Cairo supports the German-Egyptian exchange of experiences with regard to transformation processes, for example, through the Cairo Talks on Transformation and Change (CTTC) discussion series. The office provides a platform for on-site hands-on academic analysis of social upheaval. Young researchers in Berlin can also benefit from the activities of the liaison office in Cairo. Since 2011, the office in Cairo together with the branch of the Oriental Institute in Beirut, has been offering a tutorial for students and doctoral candidates in the humanities and social sciences focusing on the Middle East. The liaison office in Cairo took up its work in 2010. It is headed by Dr. Florian Kohstall, a political scientist whose doctoral dissertation dealt with reforms in higher education in Egypt and Morocco.
For more information and interview requests:
- Dr. Florian Kohstall, Head, Liaison Office of Freie Universität Berlin in Cairo, currently in Berlin, Tel.: +49 (0)30 / 838-73944; Email: florian.kohstall@fu-berlin.de
- Office of News and Public Affairs, Freie Universität Berlin; Tel.: +49 (0)30 / 838-73180, Email: presse@fu-berlin.de