At the invitation of the Education First Foundation, Dr. Hossam Badrawi, Chairman of the Foundation’s Advisory Committee, met on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, with outstanding preparatory certificate students from the “Ehna Masr” Program (Cohorts 2023–2024 / 2024–2025) at Mubarak Educational City.
At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Badrawi congratulated the students on their excellence, affirming that they represent Egypt’s future and its true hope, and that the nation’s progress and advancement can only be achieved through the minds of its aware and enlightened youth.
During his address, Dr. Badrawi expressed his desire to pass on the positive energy and deep love for the homeland that he carries to the students. He spoke about the near future, which will witness radical transformations driven by rapid technological development and artificial intelligence. He encouraged the students to prepare for this future, stressing that the coming world will leave no place for those who are not digitally equipped, and that many traditional jobs will disappear over the next ten years, to be replaced by new roles requiring higher levels of readiness and digital skills.
Dr. Badrawi also spoke about Egypt and its standing, describing it as a great country possessing all the necessary resources and wealth—foremost among them the wealth of its youth. He emphasized that Egypt is capable of becoming one of the greatest countries in the world if it invests properly in preparing its young people, pointing to the capabilities and skills of Egyptian youth that deserve support, investment, and guidance.
He further addressed the value system and its role in building society, explaining that values are not acquired through slogans or curricula alone, but through lived experience, conviction, and daily practice. He stressed the importance of using reason, accepting differing opinions, and instilling the values of citizenship, compassion, love, and honesty.
In a notable human dimension of the talk, Dr. Badrawi discussed the concept of happiness and the difference between happiness and pleasure. He urged students to learn how to be happy by identifying what truly brings them happiness and striving to practice it. He noted that many people—even adults—are unable to name five simple things that make them happy.
Dr. Badrawi also reviewed key stages of his personal and professional journey, beginning with his early passion for reading and knowledge, through his political experience and the evolution of his views on fundamental issues such as education and health. Through his work at the National Council for Human Rights, he came to realize that these are basic rights rather than services provided for a fee. He spoke as well about his role in developing Egypt’s Vision 2030 for education, as head of the committee that prepared it with the contribution of more than 70 experts. The vision aims at several objectives, foremost among them building a well-balanced personality that takes pride in its homeland and is proud of its history.
In an inspiring message to the youth, Dr. Badrawi emphasized that learning does not stop at any age. He cited his own experiences of learning drawing and music after the age of sixty, and his continued learning today of languages and artificial intelligence. He stressed that the true elite are those who continue to learn, evolve, and think intelligently, and that the students before him belong to this elite.
The meeting concluded with enthusiastic applause from the students, whose faces reflected happiness and deep appreciation for this rich encounter, which carried messages of hope, motivation, and confidence in the future.
Dr. Hossam Badrawi then opened the floor for questions and discussion in a lively and interactive atmosphere. Students eagerly raised many questions that reflected their awareness and intellectual curiosity, ranging from the medical profession and paths to success and sustainability, to the importance of culture and reading, as well as learning technology and artificial intelligence, and relying on oneself in building the future.
Dr. Badrawi responded to all questions with joy and openness, answering with sincerity, experience, and human depth. Parents described the meeting as exceptional, considering their children among the “fortunate students” to have taken part in such an inspiring dialogue.
The event concluded with a commemorative group photo bringing together the “Ehna Masr 2026” program students and attendees with Dr. Badrawi. This was followed by his gifting a number of students and guests copies of his latest books, personally signed, in an atmosphere filled with joy, gratitude, and appreciation.
