DISCUSSING UK SCHOLARSHIPS

Maged and Galal offer their views

Over the last two decades the British Council has offered hundreds of distinguished scholarships to top-ranking students and genius cadres in different fields to study at British universities. These scholarships are being funded by the British embassy in Egypt.

The lives and specializations of those who took these scholarships have been changed for the better, and this reflected on their fields of work, which made use of their experience and researches. Thus, the goals of these scholarships have been achieved in granting access to the most up-to-date academic sciences at the most high-ranking universities in Britain, which the scholars transfer to their cultural societies and make the best use of them.

Maged Shawki Soryal, one of the scholars and now the Chairman of the Board of the Cairo and Alexandria stock markets, says that this scholarship had put him on the right track in life and work. He adds that Dr. Mahmoud Mohie El-Ddin, the current Minister of Investment, informed him about this scholarship while Dr. Mahmoud was working as an advisor to Dr.Youssef Butros Ghali in 1995 and he was working as the assistant to Dr. Ghali. He underwent the usual examinations, passed them and got the scholarship. Afterwards he asked Dr. Ghali’s and Dr. Mahmoud’s advice about the theme of his study and they agreed that it should be “Economics of Financing”. There was already a scholarship in this branch at Queen Mary College, London University that he won, traveling to study in 1996.

Soryal adds that British Council officials had helped him before traveling by holding guiding sessions to inform the scholars about British customs, the nature of study at British universities and the difficulties that they could face in Britain. In addition to this, they provided the scholars with booklets about the prices of accommodation, transportation, food and even books. They also held a ceremony to introduce the old scholars to the new ones to exchange scientific experience. The ceremony included senior men of law in Egypt who graduated from London University, which is distinguished by its Medicine and law studies.

Study at Most of the World’s Universities

Soryal says that this scholarship enabled him to study the topic he has always liked, the money market and financing sciences, at one of the greatest universities in the world. This scholarship benefited him in his work after his return as he did much specialized research, which developed his employment position in addition to making him aware of the rapid changes in the international money market. It also helped him think in a precise and organized way depending on scientific methods. The scholarship gave him the opportunity to study a certain science that didn’t then exist in Egypt and is still not solidly present.

Moreover, Soryal always refers to the studies, research, and books he brought back from London, when he thinks about new projects like looking for a new mechanism for stock market circulation, such as (buying and selling at the same time) that will have a major positive effect on the activity of the money market in the future.

Furthermore, Soryal said that one of the most important benefits he got from this scholarship is that he became aware of the culture of the British people, who like their extensive history very much whether it was positive or negative. He admired their adherence to their national identity and the accuracy of keeping their appointments. They are also very interested in the student and how they can facilitate all possible means of enabling him to study in a suitable atmosphere. It was, for example, the first time for Soryal to evaluate one of his professors in a monthly evaluation sheet, something he had experienced nowhere else.

Soryal expresses the wish that these scholarships could be available to many more Egyptian youth. The beginning to acquisition of these scholarships starts with the announcement of them by the British Council, especially those scholarships about the money market and the finance sciences, because of the dire need for these specializations, which produce something new every day.

Galal Nassar, Managing Editor of Al-Ahram Weekly, is one of those cadres that made use of these scholarships. He says that he learned about his scholarship through the advertisement placed by the British Council in Al-Ahram’s Friday issue, and had been planning with some of his colleagues to apply for these scholarships, as they knew that they represent a great opportunity for any ambitious youth.

Nassar says that he had got a bachelor degree in mass communications from Cairo University in 1991 and entered the journalism field to work as a military affairs editor. During that time, he also acquired a high diploma from Nasser Military Academy in addition to getting many annual prizes presented by the Syndicate of Journalists. That’s why he chose a scholarship in the field of communications and information in international relationships at Leeds University. He was assisted in choosing the subject of his scholarship by officials of the British Council and by its extensive library, and also by visiting the websites of British universities. He also adds that the council provides summaries for the scholars about life in Britain.

The kind of this study wasn’t available in Egypt

As for the importance of the studies he undertook, Galal Nassar says that because of the importance of his line of study, the dean of the institute supervised it himself, and he was the first to write about Gulf War in that context. He adds that his study at the Faculty of Mass Communications introduced him superficially to the subject, while the scholarship gave him a great chance to extensively study this essential topic, in addition to all that’s new in the field of publicity, public campaign and business administration.

Nassar says that he made use of the existence of the biggest television archive in the world on the Gulf War at the British universities. As for the benefit he got, he adds that this benefit couldn’t be transferred orally but through practical application and his work as a manager in editing Al-Ahram Weekly.

He asserts that he got another benefit from this scholarship in getting to know British culture and the way of life there. He noticed the interest the British people have in taking part positively in political life, elections, and in discussing new laws and legislation. Nassar hopes to witness such positive developments here in Egypt because countries are now seeking to lay down principles of diplomatic culture and popular diplomacy. The most important element in these principles is providing scholarships and increasing the exchange of different arts groups so as to bridge the cultural gap between various peoples of the world, and in the long run, to reach a joint understanding of mutual and world issues.    .