Ahmed Hamad (front, L), President of British University in Egypt (BUE), signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Mamdouh Ghorab, President of Suez Canal University, at the BUE headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, March 20, 2017. Under the MOU, the Suez Canal's Confucius Institute will provide the BUE with professors and teachers to hold Chinese language programs for college students. This will make the BUE the first private university to have a program to teach Chinese language in the North African country. (Xinhua/Meng Tao)
The British University in Egypt (BUE) signed here Monday a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Confucius Institute at Egypt's Suez Canal University.
Under the MOU, the Suez Canal's Confucius Institute will provide the BUE with professors and teachers to hold Chinese language programs for college students.
The MOU was signed at the British University headquarters in Cairo by China's Consul General in Alexandria Xu Nanshan, Professor Ahmed Hamad, President of the BUE, and Professor Mamdouh Ghorabm, President of Suez Canal University.
This will make the BUE the first private university to have a program to teach Chinese language in the North African country.
"Egypt and China have built strong ties at different levels in recent years," the consul general said during the signing ceremony.
He pointed out that there are 14 Egyptian colleges offering Chinese language programs and more than 5000 Chinese-learning students nationwide, with more than 1000 Chinese students learning Arabic in Egypt.
"Cooperation between BUE and Suez Canal University's Confucius Institute will set up an example among private universities in Egypt and encourage them to offer Chinese language courses or open Chinese language departments in the future," he added.
Becoming a bridge for Egyptian-Chinese cultural interaction, Confucius Institute was first founded at Cairo University in 2007.
In recent years, Confucius Institute has opened branches in many places outside Cairo University, including Pharos University in Alexandria province, Benha University in Qalyoubiya province and Fayoum University in Fayoum province, besides other branches in several high, preparatory and elementary schools across the country.
