From 28 January, 3 fairs and 3 concerts by the Erasmus Orchestra in Cairo, Alexandria and Luxor
The Study in Sicily project enters its operational phase with a cycle of meetings organized in Egypt, Cairo, Alexandria and Luxor, from 28 January to 3 February.
The Italian delegation visiting the Egyptian country is made up of representatives of the Sicilian Region, INDIRE, USR Sicily, and Sicilian Universities, Academies, Conservatories and ITSs.
During the week, a series of bilateral meetings are scheduled between the institutions of the two countries, three fairs open to Egyptian students to raise awareness of study opportunities in Sicily and three concerts by the Erasmus orchestra, during which youths, mostly of Sicilian and Egyptian conservatories will play.
“Study in Sicily is an opportunity for the Sicilian education and training system and strengthens cooperation in the Mediterranean area- declares the councilor for education and professional training of the Sicilian Region, Mimmo Turano – with this project, the Sicilian Region has brought the educational offer of the higher education system in the Euro-Mediterranean basin, giving the island’s students the opportunity to participate in extra-European mobility activities thanks to scholarships financed with ESF resources. This is the first regional experiment on a European scale which has strengthened relations with countries facing North Africa and the Middle East. Sicily is geographically located in a strategic position, and this is why we must aim to become a Mediterranean hub for the world of education and training“.
“After two years of pandemic, we are starting 2023 by giving a further boost to the Study in Sicily project – declares Flaminio Galli, INDIRE’s Director General -. The work we are carrying out, under the inputs of the Sicilian Region and in synergy with the Italian Cultural Institute in Cairo, aims to promote the Sicilian education system in Egypt. The goal is to create opportunities for dialogue, collaboration and development between Sicilian and Egyptian universities and educational institutions, offering new mobility opportunities for the students of two countries. The Orchestra’s concerts will also give many students attending Sicilian conservatories the opportunity to perform in an international context. For the future, we are working to implement important visibility initiatives involving the entire sector of Higher Education Institutions for Fine Arts, Music and Dance”.
The Study in Sicily project is funded by the Sicilian Region, specifically by Axis 3 “Education and training” of the 2014-2020 programming of the ROP ESF Sicily, with the support of INDIRE which acts as an intermediate body. The action of the Region concerning the use of funds is in continuity and in synergy with the actions financed by the Erasmus Programme.
The goal is to increase the number of scholarships made available to students and projects for the school sector, financed by the Erasmus programme, thanks to ROP ESF funds. In this way, the increase in incoming and outgoing student flows can give rise to an increasingly open and international approach, capable of promoting the exchange of new practices and innovation given by a virtuous circulation of ideas, inclusion and integration among peoples.
For the higher education sector, the project has so far been funded with over 1 million and 300 thousand euros. Outgoing and incoming mobility – still in the reporting phase – involves 550 students. 16 projects have been accepted – of which 10 in 2020 and 6 in 2021 – and the higher education institutions involved are the University of Messina, the University of Palermo, the University of Catania, Unimed – Union of Mediterranean Universities, the Trapani Conservatory of Music, the Palermo Academy of Fine Arts, the Messina music conservatory “A. Corelli”, the Enna Kore University and the ITS Foundation for New Technologies for Made in Italy – food system, “Albatros” of Messina.
The initiative therefore aims to encourage and support the collaboration of Sicilian schools, ITSs and universities, especially with those of some Mediterranean countries (Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Jordan, Egypt), promoting the exchange of good practices, the definition of joint projects, the development of networking between the various Institutes and the strengthening of the educational offer of the island.
Contacts: http://www.studyinsicily.eu/contacts/