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Amidst outstanding student participation, Prof. Rami Maher Ghali, Vice President of the University for Education and Student Affairs, inaugurated the French language oratory and speech competition at Ain Shams University, in the presence of Prof. Ghada Farouk, Vice President of the University for Community Service and Environmental Development, Her Excellency Ambassador Olivia Toderian, Ambassador of Romania in Cairo, Mr. Daniel Reneau, Attaché for Educational Cooperation at the French Embassy, ​​Professor Dr. Mona Amer, Regional Director of the Francophone University Agency in Egypt, Prof. Hanan Kamel, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Prof. Yumna Safwat, Dean of the Faculty of Al-Alsun, Prof. Maha Aliwa, Head of the Department of French Language and Literature at the Faculty of Arts, and a number of deans of faculties, faculty staff and students.

The competition was organized by the Education and Student Affairs Sector at Ain Shams University, in cooperation with the Faculty of Arts – French Department, and with the participation of French departments from the Faculties of Arts, Languages, Education, and Girls. This initiative falls within the framework of the Scientific Circle of Corresponding French Departments at Ain Shams University (RDF) and reflects the university's support for Francophonie through the University Center of Francophonie (CUF), currently under construction. This collaboration demonstrates fruitful cooperation among the university's French studies departments.

In his opening remarks, Prof. Rami Maher Ghali expressed his appreciation for the presence of the deans of the participating faculties, faculty staff, and students. He noted that their attendance and participation embodied the spirit of cooperation and integration among the university's faculties and underscored Ain Shams University's commitment to supporting student activities that combine creativity, culture, and global engagement.

He explained that this distinguished event comes within the framework of the Mediterranean Season 2026, a season announced by the President of the French Republic in Marseille in 2023. He emphasized that Ain Shams University is committed to promoting Francophonie in its broadest sense, as a space for cultural dialogue, academic exchange, and communication between peoples.

He further explained that the Mediterranean Sea was chosen as the theme for this competition due to its immense historical and cultural significance; it is a meeting point of civilizations and a bridge for human communication throughout the ages.

This theme also acquires a highly relevant contemporary dimension in light of the environmental challenges facing the sea today, most notably rising temperatures and their resulting impact on the marine environment and the ecological balance of the region.

In this context, he expressed his pride in the participation of students from the French Department at the Faculty of Arts in a distinguished international project on the Mediterranean, in collaboration with Aix-Marseille University in France and the Autonomous University of Madrid in Spain. This reflects Ain Shams University's commitment to supporting academic openness and international cooperation, and to providing its students with genuine opportunities to gain experience and broaden their horizons.

The Vice President of the University noted that the competition includes 16 participants from the participating faculties, which reflects the spirit of cultural and creative competition and underscores the University's dedication to developing its students' skills in expression, dialogue, public speaking, and the ability to present ideas in clear and effective language.

In closing, he expressed his sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to organizing this competition, wishing all participants success. The judging panel included a select group of diplomatic and academic figures, chaired by Prof. Ghada Farouk, and including Ambassador Olivia Toderian, Prof. Mona Amer, and Mr. Daniel Renou.

Prof. Ghada Farouk affirmed that the competition represents a bridge for cultural and civilizational communication through the French language, praising the students’ ability to employ rhetoric skills in addressing Mediterranean issues and its environmental challenges, reflecting the university’s role in integrating community awareness with international academic openness and developing a spirit of creativity among its students.

The judging panel commended the participants' outstanding performance, and the results saw the following students win: Zeina Qassem, Ziad Farghali, Malak Sharif, and Mark Al-Houmi from the Faculty of Arts; Claire Ashraf and Habiba Mohamed from the Faculty of Al-Alsun; and Julie Yasser from the Faculty of Education, who received a special award.