ExxonMobil Egypt, Ministry of Education, AUC Celebrate the Graduation of the 2nd Class of AUC’s Professional Educator Diploma

CAIRO — ExxonMobil Egypt celebrated the graduation ceremony of the second class of the Professional Educator Diploma for teachers and administrators of public and experimental schools, which took place at a Cairo-hotel this week.

ExxonMobil continues its sponsorship for the third class of the diploma with 40 students and administrators in 2014/2015.

Ministry of Education promises to look after the graduates during its participation at the ceremony

Eng. Hesham Elamroussy, Chairman and Managing Director of ExxonMobil Egypt; Ms. Nihad Shelbaya, Public and Government Affairs Manager of ExxonMobil Egypt; Major General Eng. Nabil Amer, adviser to the Minister of Education on Resource Development; Dr. Alaa Elsayed Abdulghaffar, adviser to the Minister of Education on Quality and Development attended the ceremony. From the AUC, Dr. Samiha Peterson, Dean of the Graduate School of Education; Dr. Stacie Rissmann-Joyce, Director of the Program and the graduates attended as well.

At the beginning of his speech, Eng. Hesham Elamroussy, Chairman and Managing Director of ExxonMobil Egypt, stressing on the important role that continuing education plays in the development of societies welcomed the attendees. He also affirmed that ExxonMobil Egypt, a partner in Egypt’s growth for more than 110 years, will continue its sponsorship of this outstanding program: “We are pleased to continue our partnership with the American University in Cairo in this program, which meets the principles of Exxon Mobil Egypt. The company has a commitment to supporting various education initiatives that have a clear impact on social development. We are continuing our cooperation with the AUC that started in 2010 to sponsor the program by supporting another batch of public and experimental school teachers and administrators to upgrade their educational skills through the Professional Educator Diploma.” Mr. Elamroussy said. “We are grateful for the support provided by the Ministry of Education, remarkably its keenness to help the graduate teachers.” he added.

Ms. Nihad Shelbaya noted the effectiveness of the diploma and its positive impact on participants, stating in her speech: “Year after year, we always feel the enthusiasm of the participants in this diploma. Their clear passion for learning new skills and their interest in various specialties of the program continue to shine through.” “This year, we would like to thank the Ministry of Education for taking part in the graduation ceremony and showing interest in the graduates. Moreover, the ministry has promised to support them and capitalize on their experiences for the benefit of students, schools and the ministry.”

Dr. Alaa Elsayed Abdulghafar, Adviser to the Minister of Education on Quality and Development, has referred to the ministry’s strategic approach to tackling the issue of education quality and development. “The evidence to that confirmed interest is the speed by which the ministry agreed with the dean of the Graduate School of Education to fully utilize the know-how of the graduates of the diploma.”

During her speech, Dr. Samiha Peterson, Dean of the Graduate School of Education, recalled the AUC’s history with ExxonMobil Egypt in sponsoring the diploma. “Before ExxonMobil Egypt sponsored the program, we were looking for partners to support it, until we found ExxonMobil Egypt expressing a real desire to cooperate with us,” she said. “The company embodied that in its keenness to support teachers and administrators in this ambitious program at the university, through which we were able to open the door for new and different teaching methods that improve educational performance in a way that suits most of the global variables.”

Ms. Peterson thanked ExxonMobil Egypt and the graduates, expressing hopes to see the results of the diploma in both their teaching performances at the schools as well their students’ performances.

Ms. Anwaar Hassan, the administration manager of the Experimental Schools Administration in Giza, has expressed her pride having participated in the diploma. She also thanked sponsors for the opportunity provided to her. “I would like to thank ExxonMobil Egypt for sponsoring this splendid program, which I joined as a school administrator. Now I am the administration manager of experimental schools, and my ambition will not stop there. I look forward to getting a master’s degree from the AUC,” Ms. Hassan said.

Mary Helmy, a participating teacher who earned a diploma in teaching young children, noted the importance of what she learnt through the diploma. “In the past, we were dealing with young people in only one way and this was a big mistake. Through the diploma, I learned that there are differences between children and that our real mission is not to indoctrinate, but to discover talents and nurture them. It is important to point out that children started responding to us and helping each other. This diploma revealed so many aspects of the children’s world to us, which we never knew.”

Nevine El-Swaify, a tutor of the preparatory and secondary education program, expressed her appreciation of the teachers. “Teachers and administrators are being selected very carefully. From the first day, they grasp the opportunity to learn with great enthusiasm and passion. For example, one of my students is a teacher who lives in Ismailia. She used to travel to Cairo everyday just to attend the lectures, and she was so confident and had a real desire to develop her performance. Other participants also confirmed that they discovered a new world of experiences, which they wish to share with their colleagues and students.”

It is worth mentioning that the AUC introduced the Professional Educator Diploma in 2010 through its Graduate School of Education. It provides certificates for teachers and administrators of public and experimental schools who want to improve their skills and their schools through studies that focus on fields of educational leadership, inclusive education for diverse learners, integrated technology for classroom teachers, teaching for young learners, teaching adolescent learners and STEM education. ExxonMobil Egypt provided a grant for 20 teachers and administrators in 2010-2011, following by a group of 30 in the following year, 2012-2013. Following the success of the program and the enthusiasm of the participating teachers and administrators, ExxonMobil Egypt is renewing its sponsorship for this year providing grants for 40 participants.

About ExxonMobil Egypt (S.A.E.)

ExxonMobil Egypt is a pace setter in providing quality lubricants and fuels and an extensive network of convenience retail shops. We offer more than 350 Mobil and Esso service stations, more than 20 Mobil 1 centers and more than 25 convenience stores ‘’On the Run’’. Supported by our two lubricant blending plants in Alexandria and 10th of Ramadan City, we also provide a variety of industrial products, lubrication programs and services, in Egypt and in more than 25 countries in Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the Far East. ExxonMobil Egypt builds on a rich history that started more than 100 years ago when the Vacuum Oil Company (Mobil’s predecessor) was registered in Egypt. ExxonMobil Egypt is committed to making a continuous contribution towards education, development and women initiatives, serving diverse segments and categories in the Egyptian community. Learn more on our website https://egypt.exxonmobil.com/.