KYUDAI NEWS KYUSHU UNIVERSITY CAMPUS MAGAZINE Spring 2013 No.24

10/32

Ogata : I would like to ask your ideas on what attracts Egyptian students to study in Japan?El-Sharkawi : Egyptian people think Japan is a good place, people are kind and Japan is an advanced country. Life is easy, secure and safe, so this is how they think about Japan.Ogata : As for Kyushu University, what do you think are our strengths? What advice do you have for Kyushu University?El-Qady : Kyushu University is one of the best universities for Egyptians because the atmosphere there is more or less like Cairo. Science and technologies are highly advanced, and we have many cultural characteristics in common. I think the old cultures of Japan and Egypt have something in common, as well as the politics. Of course safety is a point of attraction for Egyptian students. One last important point is that the number of Egyptian students studying in Japan is drastically increasing, and I think when the students come back to Egypt after studying in Japan, they have a good chance to become new ambassadors for Japan in Egypt. So I would like to request Kyushu University to take this opportunity to educate new Egyptian ambassadors to Japan. Ogata : Developing global human resources has been a key topic in Japan. What is your impression about Japanese students?El-Qady : From our regular activities, I was able to meet with many young Japanese students, they are shy and travel abroad but not for research, only for sightseeing. My impression is that Japanese young people are afraid of going abroad because of cultural conflicts, some might want to go to Egypt but are afraid to do so for religious reasons or for cultural reasons. So to get rid of that fear, we started programs with related organizations, and recently we came up with a program for kids to teach them Arabic and Egyptian culture. Along With other joint activities, I believe these little kids will be willing to go abroad and participate in activities with a global point of view.Future prospects for the Egypt - Japan relationshipOgata : I would like to ask you about future prospects for the relationship between Egypt and Japan. How would you like to engage in this relationship?El-Sharkawi : From the aspects of culture, education and science, we will need cooperation between Japanese and Egyptian research institutes, and not just students. This is an important point to be considered. Also, as Japan is a highly advanced, industrial country, your support for Egyptian industry through knowledge transfer, experience, and how to do many things will be very important. I now consider higher and technical education to be important for Egyptian industries and to achieve economic improvements. Also, the culture will be important. Japanese people may know about old Egypt but not modern Egypt, and you may have been surprised to see the number of streets and cars in Cairo. This image is not yet clear to Japanese society. So there are a lot of opportunities for further cooperation in all areas.Headquarters of Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST) Project located near Alexandria. E-JUST is a governmental cooperation project, supported by twelve Japanese universities including Kyushu University.SPECIAL INTERVIEW9Kyudai News No.24Kyushu University Cairo Office with Prof. Ogata and the Director, Dr. Safad Hassaballa.

※このページを正しく表示するにはFlashPlayer9以上が必要です