CAIRO, Nov 11 — 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 Malaysian students’ educational access to the prestigious institution.
“I also emphasised the importance of strengthening cooperation between Malaysia and Al-Azhar Al-Sharif within Asean, particularly in the fields of technology and knowledge dissemination,” he said during a public lecture at Al-Azhar Conference Centre here yesterday.
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 Al-Azhar Al-Sharif Grand Imam Shaikh Prof Ahmad Muhammad Ahmad Al-Tayyeb.
The meeting followed Anwar’s courtesy call on Egypt President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at Al-Ittihadiya, as part of his four-day official visit to Egypt.
At the meeting with Ahmad, Anwar mentioned a proposed memorandum of understanding aimed at strengthening cooperation through Islamic Science programmes between Malaysia’s Higher Education Ministry 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.
— Bernama