His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif, Prof. Ahmad At-Tayyeb, received Dr. Tarek Shawky, Minister of Education. The Grand Imam stated that, by developing curricula, Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif aims to keep pace with the successive developments and contemporary issues that need to be addressed, such as terrorism and excommunication. He noted that the subject of Islamic culture as introduced by Al-Azhar addresses many contemporary issues in a distinct way that contributes to graduating Azharite students who are able to confront these ideas and concepts. He then asserted the importance of advancing education in Egypt, given that education is the basis for the progress of nations and peoples. He also explained the need for all educational institutions in Egypt to develop non-traditional solutions to and treatments of problems in the educational process. According to the Grand Imam, this is meant to raise the level of the student and the teacher.

For his part, Dr. Shawky praised the Grand Imam’s efforts, especially at the external level, in redressing the image of Islam, which was distorted by the practices of extremist organizations. He explained that education in Egypt suffers from problems that require radical and decisive solutions. He thus pointed to the importance of coordination and cooperation between the Ministry of Education and Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif, which is the most prestigious educational institution in Egypt and the world. At the end of the meeting, the Grand Imam maintained his full support for all efforts that contribute to the advancement of education in Egypt.