Alexandria University Faculty of Education Hosts Novelist Essam Youssef in “Geniuses and Community Awareness” Seminar
Professor Dr. Abdelaziz Konsowa, President of Alexandria University, received the writer and novelist Essam Youssef, presenter of the “Geniuses” TV game show, where he gave him the university’s shield in appreciation of the cultural and educational role he plays through his purposeful “Geniuses” programme. He stressed that the university would continue this success and will spread the idea of these competitions among students of different faculties to contribute to raising their intellectual and cultural level.
Mr. Youssef had met earlier with Alexandria University students in an educational seminar organized by the Faculty of Education under the title “Geniuses and Community Awareness”. Among the participants in the seminar were Dr. Wael Nabil, Vice President of Alexandria University for Education and Student Affairs, Dr. Mohamed Anwar Farrag, Dean of the Faculty of Education, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Gamal, Secretary of the Family House in Alexandria, Dr. Hassan Abdeen, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Education for Education and Student Affairs, Dr. Salem Abdelrazek, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Education for Community Service Affairs, Mr. Ehab Zakaria, member of the Parliament, as well as several deans and vice deans of faculties, in addition to a group of professors, thinkers, and intellectuals in Alexandria.
In his speech, Dr. Wael Nabil expressed his pleasure with the participation of this large number of students who represent the future of the new Egypt, stressing the importance of benefiting from the experience of the “Geniuses” TV programme and trying to employ it educationally to push students to learn, adding that the role of the university is no longer limited to science, but rather includes organizing such meetings, which contribute to increasing students’ cultural awareness and knowledge. He also indicated that Alexandria University’s participation in the “Geniuses” programme represents a qualitative and creative breakthrough that can be used as a competitive educational strategy.
Writer and TV host Essam Youssef explained that he is happy to be in Alexandria University, a fortress of knowledge, assuring the students that one of the most important reasons for success is to have a dream they seek to achieve with perseverance and diligence. He added that geniuses, talented and creative people represent the hope of the nation with their talents and capabilities. He also explained that the idea of the “Geniuses” programme represents a qualitative and creative breakthrough that can be made use of by its implementation on a large scale within schools and universities, to bring about a noticeable change in the psychological and academic aspects of students as future investment projects.
In his speech, Dr. Mohamed Anwar Farrag, Dean of the Faculty of Education, emphasized that the “Geniuses” TV programme is a pioneering and unique Egyptian experience based on honest competition among students in a creative scientific atmosphere, that instils noble educational values in the hearts of students, that may exceed what educational systems have provided over the decades. He indicated that the “Geniuses” programme is the most powerful way that makes the students, whether in Egypt or in the Arab world, search for information by themselves, whether in science, arts, literature, technology, or history. It establishes the concept of self-education and spontaneous activity, and this principle has become necessary in modern education systems.
Dr. Hassan Abdeen, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Education for Education and Student Affairs, stressed the importance of discovering geniuses through nomination by their peers, holding various tests and having certain standards, indicating that this does not end when geniuses are discovered, but rather they must be cared for and nurtured by urging them to persevere and endure difficulties, and training them to solve problems that they encounter.