Prof. Dr. Youssef Gharbawy, President of South Valley University, stated that the university ranked fifth among Egyptian universities in implementing the National Illiteracy Eradication Project in cooperation with the General Authority of Adult Education, following its success in eradicating illiteracy for 76,411 citizens in the surrounding community. This came according to a report issued by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research on the efforts of Egyptian universities to confront illiteracy as one of the most important features of the community participation of universities. The report said that Egyptian universities succeeded in presenting shining models and remarkable achievements in addressing illiteracy during the period 2014-2022.

    The President of the University also explained that this success is the result of serious cooperation between the University and the General Authority for Adult Education to eradicate illiteracy among citizens and an affirmation of the continued efforts of the University and its progress toward participation in national literacy. In 2014, the university began to activate its role in the implementation of the State Strategy for Sustainable Development, Egypt’s Vision 2030, granting rewards and incentives to outstanding students participating in the national literacy project, and launching development convoys within the presidential initiative “Hayat Karima” to eradicate illiteracy among citizens in the villages of the Egyptian countryside.

   Dr. Ahmed Kamal Nassary, Vice President of the University for Community Service and Environmental Development, indicated that this achievement is part of activating the University’s role in community service and environmental development and investing its human and material capacities that can be used to face the challenge of illiteracy.

He also added that this achievement was the result of a series of operational measures, the most important of which are:

• Periodic follow-up with the University’s partners in the national literacy project.
• Participation in comprehensive convoys directed by the community service and environmental development sector to the people of Upper Egypt villages in various random and marginalized areas.
• Awareness-raising seminars and educational meetings to motivate students to participate in the national literacy project, in implementation of the state’s plan to declare Egypt without illiteracy, in order to achieve the objectives of the sustainable development plan, Egypt’s Vision 2030.