From May 13 to 15, 2025, Mr. PAN Feng, Deputy Director of the International Centre for Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO (UNESCO-ICHEI), and Ms. LI Ruoyu, Programme Officer of the Global Partnership and Programme Office, visited Egypt and conducted a series of working meetings with the IIOE Egypt National Centre, UNESCO Cairo, and the Egyptian National Commission for UNESCO.

UNESCO-ICHEI supports the localized operation of the IIOE Egypt National Centre

During their visit, the delegation engaged in in-depth discussions with the IIOE Egypt National Centre team on key projects, including Smart Classroom, co-development of IIOE Micro-Certification courses, and localized teacher training. Since its establishment at Ain Shams University in 2022, the IIOE Egypt National Centre has been a national hub driving Egypt's digital education ecosystem through pilot projects, co-development of IIOE Micro-Certification courses, and teacher training. Its local network covers 23 Egyptian universities. As the first rotating presidency unit of IIOE, Ain Shams University has had a long-term partnership with UNESCO-ICHEI with fruitful achievements.

In 2020, UNESCO-ICHEI, in collaboration with Southern University of Science and Technology and sponsored by Weidong Cloud Education Group, established a Smart Classroom at the Faculty of Engineering at Ain Shams University. The Smart Classroom has since hosted numerous teacher training sessions, seminars, and workshops, greatly facilitating digital teaching and learning. The IIOE Egypt National Centre plans to enhance the visibility and utilization of smart classrooms through a promotion strategy and user feedback collection to benefit more Egypitian higher education professionals.

To date, four IIOE Micro-Certification courses have been co-developed by IIOE Egypt National Centre and UNESCO-ICHEI, including an A7 course on "Integration and Implementation of ePortfolios in Competency-Based Educational Programs", a C1 course on "Design and Implement Universal Learning Activities", two C4 courses on "Design and Implementation of Blended Courses" and "Management and Evaluation of Blended Courses". These courses are designed to help higher education professionals master the key skills of digital teaching and learning, enabling them to better adapt to the digital trends in education. On this basis, the IIOE Egypt National Centre deployed 14 IIOE Micro-Certification courses on the IIOE platform through its localized page and trained nearly 600 higher education professionals, significantly improving their digital teaching skills and AI literacy.

IIOE Micro-Certification courses co-developed by Ain Shams University and UNESCO-ICHEI

Webpage for IIOE Egypt National Centre

Looking ahead, UNESCO-ICHEI will continue to work hand in hand with the IIOE Egypt National Centre to drive the digital transformation of higher education to new heights. The IIOE Egypt National Centre has shown great interest in co-developing a series of IIOE Micro-Certification courses in the AI+Disciplines series courses such as "AI+Medical Practice", "AI+Medical Education" and "AI+New Energy", and plans to carry out large-scale teacher training in its IIOE Egypt National Centre network with the help of the IIOE platform, rich courses and high-quality training resources, so as to provide solid support for Egypt's national AI strategy and higher education policy agenda.

UNESCO-ICHEI forges multilateral partnerships to advance cooperation

The UNESCO-ICHEI delegation also had meetings with UNESCO Cairo and the Egyptian National Commission for UNESCO. Mr. PAN Feng introduced UNESCO-ICHEI's significant progress in recent years and its current key projects such as the development of the IIOE platform, the IIOE Micro-Certification Project, and localized teacher training. He expressed his expectation for more effective cooperation with all parties to jointly promote the realization of educational development goals.

Mr. Robert Parua, Education Program Adviser at UNESCO Cairo, commended UNESCO-ICHEI's contributions to global higher education digital transformation. He proposed enhanced cooperation in joint research, regional events on higher education digital transformation, and training programmes on digital and AI literacy for higher education professionals. Prof. Ayman Farid, Secretary-General of the Egyptian National Commission for UNESCO, noted the alignment between UNESCO-ICHEI's projects and Egypt's higher education goals. He expressed interest in utilizing the IIOE platform, resources, and teacher training initiatives to support Egypt's higher education digital transformation and AI in education agenda.

Group photo of UNESCO-ICHEI and UNESCO Cairo representatives	Group photo of UNESCO-ICHEI and Egyptian National Commission for UNESCO representatives

The visit represented a key step for UNESCO-ICHEI to deepen its strategic cooperation with Egyptian partners, marking the further expansion of IIOE global partner network in Africa and the Arab region, and setting an example of multilateral cooperation for the digital transformation of global higher education.

About IIOE Egypt National Centre

IIOE Egypt National Centre was jointly established by UNESCO-ICHEI and Ain Shams University in 2022. As a national hub for higher education digital transformation in Egypt, IIOE Egypt National Centre aims to foster a supportive ecosystem for local higher education through co-developing courses, implementing teacher capacity-building programs, and organizing institutional and national-level events, thereby empowering Egyptian higher education institutions in their digital transformation journey.

About UNESCO Cairo

Established in 1947, UNESCO Cairo is dedicated to fostering peace and sustainable development through education, science, culture, and communication and information. Established in coordination with UNESCO Headquarters, the office serves as a hub for advancing UNESCO's mission in the region, particularly in the context of Egypt and Sudan's unique developmental, cultural, and educational landscapes.

About Egyptian National Commission for UNESCO

The Egyptian National Commission for UNESCO is a link of communication between UNESCO and the state agencies concerned in the fields of education, science and culture. The Commission is responsible for mobilizing and coordinating partnerships with national partners to promote UNESCO’s objectives and implement its program.