As founder and CEO of Global Study UK (GSUK), one of the leading education agencies in the Middle East and North Africa, I’m proud to say that we have the right people in place to listen to and support students in Egypt who want to study abroad. This gives our counsellors at our central hub in the MENA region the opportunity to gain valuable insights into the issues students are facing every day.
Over the years, we have seen several countries experience economic ups and downs and less favourable exchange rates can cause students to think twice about their dream of studying abroad. While this is the situation for many Egyptian students at the moment, they should not lose heart.
What students are telling us
With improved career outcomes a key motivator for studying abroad, it is perhaps not a surprise that one of the biggest fears we regularly hear our students voice is the possibility that the UK’s Graduate visa might be altered or watered down.
At GSUK we believe that it is our job, together with educators and institutions, to use our influence to ensure this fabulous opportunity remains open. After all, what an experience it is for a graduate to work in the UK and, after two years, take their experience back home and apply it alongside the education they acquired.
Egyptian students also worry about increasing tuition fees and cost of living; these are valid concerns that we can offer support to address. In our experience, external economic factors generally don’t deter students and their families from investing in education, especially when they receive hands-on support from our expert agents.
How we support our students
Our role at GSUK is to push every obstacle out of the way so that the dreams and aspirations of our students and their families can be achieved.
We place great importance on empowering our students with information. If we don’t provide them with key information — everything they need to know from A-Z, without skipping a letter — then we are not building confidence. Our aim is for students to arrive in the UK feeling like they’ve already been there because their counsellor, advisor, and university has engaged with them at every step of the way and provided them with everything they need.
We also like to have some fun! We host events including, most recently, a table tennis tournament for high school students in Cairo that we put on with one of our partners, Kaplan International Pathways. The prize: a training course for their school counsellor. This is because we understand the importance of involving school counsellors in the process — often, they have known their students since they entered secondary school and are well-placed to help us support students as they progress into higher education.
What more can the sector do for Egyptian students
In the future, we simply need more, and we need it earlier. More face-to-face interactions with students, more fairs, more events at high schools, but also more collaboration between education providers, universities and agents. This includes helping students to apply and pay their deposits earlier to give them more stability, and more chances to save money through better tuition rates and scholarship opportunities.
For Egyptian students, we can also ease the financial burden caused by currency fluctuations through scholarships, help with finding more affordable accommodation, or by providing information about how to get excellent value for money during their study abroad experience.
Our guiding principle at GSUK is “student first”. It sounds simple, but when we put the student first, we remind ourselves of why we do what we do. By supporting the students of today, we are paving the way for the leaders of tomorrow, and helping to make the world a stronger, safer, and more educated place.
About the author: Amer Mourad is the founder and CEO of Global Study UK (GSUK), an education consultancy based in London, United Kingdom.
With over 20 years of experience in the international higher education sector, Amer has been at the forefront of an ever-changing international education market. He leads a team of dedicated professionals and recognises that, at GSUK, their biggest asset is their people. Always inviting change and looking at new ways to develop GSUK to better serve their students, Amer believes that evolution is key to continuing to help students succeed. With the support of the GSUK team, Amer aims to give students the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills that will help them create a brighter world.
