ExxonMobil celebrates the 1st school of excellence in Suez in collaboration with Misr El-Kheir Foundation

SUEZ, EGYPT — As ExxonMobil is continuously seeking creative educational initiatives, the company celebrated the first school of excellence in Suez in collaboration with Misr El-Kheir Foundation and the Ministry of Education in the presence of Mr. Mohamed Shahin, the Industrial Education Adviser to the Ministry of Education, Mr. Abdulhafez Wahid, First Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and Director of the Directorate of Education in Suez, Mr. Mohamed Azab, Director General of Technical Education in Suez, Ms. Nihad Shelbaya, ExxonMobil Egypt Public and Government Affairs Manager, Dr. Nashwa Ayoub, Education Program Manager at Misr El-Kheir Foundation, and a number of officials from the Ministry of Education and the participating students.

A creative initiative that encourages innovation in the field of petrochemicals

Applying the international STEM experience to the Suez Advanced Technical Industrial School

Aiming to promote new generations of talented students capable of leading a revolutionary approach in the petrochemical industry

This ambitious initiative comes within the framework of the international STEM Program which aims to merge the educational content with scientific, technological, engineering and mathematical skills at the Suez Advanced Technical Industrial School in order to raise new generations of talented students who are capable of leading a revolutionary approach to the petrochemical industry.

Ms. Nihad Shelbaya, ExxonMobil Egypt Public and Government Affairs Manager announced that after the STEM experiment succeeded at the 6th of October School and Maadi School, ExxonMobil, believing in knowledge and its effective role in the development of the community, wanted to transfer and extend this wonderful experience to another governorate.

In collaboration with Misr El-Kheir Foundation and the Ministry of Education, it was agreed to transfer the STEM Program to the Suez Advanced Technical Industrial School in order for its students to have the opportunity to develop their capacities in such a way that benefits their community and governorate.

It is noteworthy that ExxonMobil has funded this school with LE2 million with the aim of providing opportunities for talented students to join the STEM educational program that combines theoretical content with reality. the key objective of the program is creating an l environment that raises the quality of education in the fields of science and mathematics.

“We hope this school promotes a new generation of talented students who can lead a revolutionary approach to the field of petrochemicals, which will benefit their community,” Ms. Shelbaya said. “Therefore, ExxonMobil has provided the school with all the required needs, modern teaching aids, advanced laboratories for chemistry and physics in addition to providing students with laptops to help them in their studies," she added.

Education Program Manager at Misr El-Kheir Foundation, Dr. Nashwa Ayoub confirmed that the foundation is applying a new strategy in education with the STEM program through collaboration with the Ministry of Education. “We wish to continue the path and to spread STEM all over Egypt’s governorates” Ayoub added.

Headmaster of the school, Eng. Khaled Fahim commended the support provided by ExxonMobil and Misr El-Kheir Foundation. He said, “We shall thank those who are in charge of this advantageous initiative, which has real added value in the industrial education field and considered a breakthrough in the technical education field that Suez never experienced before.”

“The Petrochemical Department at the school witnessed an overwhelming response from students due to the advanced scientific level provided by STEM, and we wish to increase the number of classrooms and apply the program to other departments of the school.”

"STEM", which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics is an international program applied in various countries around the world, which uses survey, research and verification in education.

The program offers learning through projects that merge the curriculum with practical lessons that provide students with the chance to apply science, technology, engineering and mathematics in contexts that link between study, work and the community.

Schools following this program start by identifying a key problem in their community, if this problem is solved the community can start overcoming the challenges that hinder its development. Consequently, the subjects addressed in the course of the program will contribute to finding a number of solutions to this problem. At end of the school year, every team of students submits a project to solve this societal problem.

STEM was first applied in Egypt in 2011 by the Ministry of Education, as the first STEM school was opened in the 6th of October city in September of that year. It is a boarding school for talented students that is equipped with computer devices, has 12 laboratories for science, mathematics and engineering. Another school was opened for female students in 2012 in Zahraa El-Maadi in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Misr El-Kheir Foundation.

About ExxonMobil

ExxonMobil is the world’s largest publicly traded international oil and gas company. ExxonMobil holds an industry-leading inventory of global oil and gas resources. ExxonMobil is the world’s largest refiner and marketer of petroleum products, and its chemical company ranks among the world’s largest. ExxonMobil applies science and innovation to find better, safer and cleaner ways to deliver the energy the world needs. Learn more on our website www.exxonmobil.com.