Prof. Mahmoud Seddiq: Higher Education in Our Nation Must Shape the Future & Be a Positive Force in the Advancement of Human Civilization
With the participation of Prof. Mahmoud Seddiq, President of al-Azhar University and Vice-President of the World Organization for al-Azhar Graduates, “The 1st international summit of University Chancellors” Conference opened today in the Pakistani city of Karachi, themed: “Academic Partnership among Islamic, Arab, and Pakistani Universities”.
In his address to the opening session, Prof. Mahmoud Seddiq affirmed that higher education in our nation should not be a mere response to the knowledge and technologies produced by others, but must instead shape the future and be a positive force in the advancement of human civilization. He noted that speaking of universities as beacons of learning and centers of knowledge brings to mind, with great pride, al-Azhar ash-Sharif, that venerable edifice of learning, whose mission has spanned more than a thousand years, where study circles are held and to which students come from all lands and cultures to draw from its sciences of Sharia, language, and philosophy.
The President of al-Azhar University explained that the rapidly accelerating challenges facing higher education demand cross-border institutional cooperation and genuine integration of capabilities and resources. He pointed to the need to move beyond traditional frameworks of cooperation and the exchange of views toward effective institutional partnership, and to launch joint projects and programs with lasting impact that benefit our societies. He called for the establishment of a unified Arab and Islamic academic space, one that is more interconnected and integrated.
The Vice-President of the Organization presented several main tracks for activating joint action among Arab, Islamic, and Pakistani universities. Among the most prominent were: artificial intelligence and digital transformation, and the exchange of academic and technical expertise, with strict ethical safeguards to protect data and cultural identity; curriculum modernization and educational quality, and the shift from the rote transmission of knowledge to the honing of skills and the building of critical and creative thinking among students; and a track on sustainable development, linking research to industry and turning its outputs into economic projects and practical solutions that serve environmental and developmental issues and create job opportunities.
Prof. Mahmoud Seddiq noted that the rapid technological and digital progress must be matched by safeguarding intellectual and value-based security. He reviewed al-Azhar’s historical role in combining the authenticity of heritage with the modernity of sciences and knowledge, affirming the continuation of its efforts to consolidate enlightened moderate thought and peaceful coexistence.
Prof. Mahmoud Seddiq concluded his address by affirming al-Azhar ash-Sharif’s commitment to widening bridges of cooperation and contributing effectively to turning the Conference’s recommendations into a tangible reality. He expressed his profound appreciation to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, League of Islamic Universities, and al-Ghazali University for their commendable efforts in bringing together this distinguished academic elite.
