The Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat, Minister of Education and Technical Education Reda Hegazy, and Governor of New Valley Mohamed Salman Al Zamlot have inaugurated Telecom Egypt’s WE Applied Technology School in Kharga, New Valley. They were received by Managing Director and CEO Mohamed Nasr El-Din and senior officials at Telecom Egypt.
The inauguration of WE ATS is within the framework of the protocol of cooperation between the Ministry of Education and Technical Education, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), the New Valley Governorate, and Telecom Egypt. The protocol aims to develop and partially transform Kharga Technical School for Girls into WE ATS.
Seven WE ATS have been established so far in different parts of the country, with a total of 2,104 students and 165 teachers. More than 650 students across New Valley applied to join the school for the academic year 2022-2023, and 50 of them (36 girls and 14 boys) were accepted, representing the target capacity for the first academic year. The school model was created to accommodate 150 students over six classes for the three grades, at two semesters for each stage.
The ICT Minister stated that the inauguration of WE ATS in New Valley is an embodiment of MCIT capacity-building strategy, one of the pillars of which is achieving technological inclusion by providing excellent opportunities for technical and vocational education and training in all parts of Egypt.
He added that each governorate will have one WE ATS, reflecting the fruitful cooperation with the Ministry of Education to bridge the gap between theoretical education and the labor market’s needs. This is achieved by honing students’ skills in high-demand specializations in today’s and tomorrow’s labor market by providing world-class education. Students at WE Schools also receive hands-on training to gain practical experience.
For his part, the Education Minister highlighted that the opening of the first applied technology school in New Valley comes within the partnership between his Ministry and MCIT. He commended the effective and leading role of MCIT in improving the quality of technical and vocational education and establishing more applied technology schools. Hegazy noted that the Ministry of Education seeks to establish more applied technology schools in various economic and service fields while providing disciplines that meet future jobs.
This type of school reflects the high-quality education provided by the Ministry of Education following the best international standards, stated Hegazy. More applied technology schools are to be opened in the near future in line with the political leadership’s vision and the national strategic plan for achieving 2030 sustainable development goals, he added.
Commenting on the opening of WE ATS in New Valley, Nasr El-Din said that it is an embodiment of Telecom Egypt’s plan and efforts to change the stereotype about technical education in Egypt. The plan clearly reflected in a large number of applications to join WE Schools all over the country.
He added that Telecom Egypt continues to fulfill its social responsibility towards supporting and developing technical education in Egypt, aiming to shape a new generation of skilled technicians capable of competing in local, regional, and global telecom markets. This is in addition to creating a new culture that helps meet the challenges and requirements of modern education, which is an important step on the road to education development in Egypt.
Following the inauguration, Talaat and Hegazy had an open discussion with a group of students at WE ATS. He listened to their views on the teaching method and academic programs, and how they benefit from them.
The opening of WE ATS builds on the numerous successes and renown gained by WE Schools on a wide scale over the past few years and the increasing demand for them nationwide.
The WE ATS project started three years ago under the auspices of MCIT and in partnership with the Ministry of Education. Several partnerships were established with international ICT companies, including Cisco, Huawei, Microsoft, Samsung, and IBM to offer academic programs in line with the established curricula and labor market requirements, in addition to advanced vocational training.
WE Schools offer hands-on training through labs and workshops that use modern equipment and technologies, in addition to field training at technical sites of Telecom Egypt and its subsidiaries. The aim is to help students acquire the technical skills needed to become professional technicians who understand today’s workplace culture and access the job marketplace.
Last week, WE ATS Career Fair was organized for the first batch of graduates at WE ATS Nasr City. The Fair was attended by 28 local and international companies specializing in IT solutions. It was aimed at helping students land jobs at those companies.
WE ATS opening was part of the ICT Minister’s visit to New Valley to inaugurate and inspect a number of projects by MCIT. Earlier today, Talaat opened Creativa Innovation Hub and witnessed the signing of an MoU on implementing digital institutional development projects in the governorate. He also checked the progress made in connecting New Valley’s government complex to the New Administrative Capital, a project by MCIT.
As part of his visit, the ICT Minister will also inspect a telemedicine unit at Kharga Specialized Hospital and Salam Post building. He is due to visit the Intellectual Education School and Al Amal School for the Deaf in Kharga after technological accessibility has been introduced in both schools to facilitate students’ access to education.
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وزارة الاتصالات وتكنولوجيا المعلومات-مصر
