CAIRO: The French University in Egypt won the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) sixth national competition Monday, securing a chance to represent Egypt in the international competition in Berlin in October.
Students from 15 universities were asked to present projects they initiated and implemented over the academic year and were judged by Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Hany Helal as well as representatives of SIFE’s different sponsors.
The judges were looking for the project providing the most economic opportunities for others.
“We have to adopt a new technique, which cherishes the value of work rather than the value of the bachelor’s degree or certificate, Helal said in his opening speech.
The competition, held at the Intercontinental CityStars, saw 15 public and private universities compete from Alexandria, Assiut, Cairo, Beni Suef, Helwan, Menufiya, Benha, Tanta and Zaqaziq.
This is the French University’s second consecutive win. “We’ve worked hard for it, and we earned it, Moataz Helmy, the university’s SIFE president, told Daily News Egypt.
The projects mostly tackled business ethics, entrepreneurship, sustainability, environmental sustainability, financial literacy, market economics, and success skills.
Assiut University came in second place, followed by Misr International University and the German University in Cairo.
“I am so proud of Assiut University’s SIFE team, even though they came in second place, it is really an accomplishment due to their limited resources . it was a surprise to all of us, Fatma Sirry, SIFE Egypt country director, told Daily News Egypt.
“We deserve it, we are really devoted to SIFE, Heba Hassan, from Assiut University, told Daily News Egypt.
However, the results left some students disappointed. Margret Magdy, SIFE’s British University in Cairo president, claimed their project was judged mainly based on the presentation not the project itself.
“The idea is how effective the project is, not how I present it, Magdy said.
Other students were happy to participate in the competition.
“It’s not always about winning, it’s about the experience, Amr Helmy, SIFE’s Misr International University head, told Daily News Egypt.
