CAIRO: The Al-Azhar University has agreed to offer scholarships to outstanding Malaysian students in medicine, engineering and technology, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar said this initiative is part of efforts to broaden the educational access of Malaysian students to the prestigious institution.
“I also emphasised the importance of strengthening cooperation between Malaysia and Al-Azhar Al-Sharif within the ASEAN region, particularly in the fields of technology and knowledge dissemination,” he said during a public lecture at the Al-Azhar Conference Centre here on Sunday.
More than 1,500 students from Al-Azhar attended Anwar’s lecture, titled “Stronger Together: A Vision For The Muslim Ummah Through Tech, Social and Economic Empowerment”.
Earlier, the Prime Minister met with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif Shaikh Professor Dr Ahmad Muhammad Ahmad At-Tayyeb.
The meeting followed Anwar’s courtesy call on Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at Al-Ittihadiya, as part of his four-day official visit to Egypt.
At the meeting with Prof Ahmad, Anwar also mentioned a proposed memorandum of understanding aimed at strengthening cooperation through Islamic Science (Ulum Islamiah) programmes between Malaysia’s Ministry of Higher Education and Al-Azhar Al-Sharif.
They also discussed plans for a joint effort between Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia and Al-Azhar Al-Sharif’s Arabic Language Institute to further strengthen educational ties between Malaysia and Egypt.
