Dr. Hassan El-Nomany, President of Sohag University, stated that the university has launched the “ Integration Mawadda” initiative for students with disabilities, as part of the national “Mawadda” project to preserve the Egyptian family structure, as a new start for the university to enhance skills and knowledge related to family relations Under the auspices of the Ministries of Social Solidarity and Higher Education and Scientific Research, this initiative is part of efforts to promote the full integration of students with disabilities into university education and society.Al-Nomany praised the implementation of this initiative at the university due to its importance in educating and creating a true awareness among the students with disabilities about the foundations of sound marriage and healthy family relationships, with the aim of building a stable future based on understanding and correct planning, appreciating the efforts of the Ministry of Social Solidarity and those implementing this important initiative at the university, including deans and their deputies, satff members, and participating students, and their significant role in implementing it.Dr. Abdel Nasser Youssef, Vice President for Education and Student Affairs, explained that two training workshops were held for integrating the students at Noor Al-Basira Center at the university, which addressed a number of essential topics, including correcting misconceptions about marriage, emphasizing the importance of achieving compatibility between partners through appropriate practical and psychological methods, the workshops also included introducing students to the concept of marriage, its goals, and its positive and negative effects. He added that the training also addressed criteria for choosing a life partner, such as customs and traditions, financial status, and health, psychological, and social conditions.
Dr. Sahar Hashem, the project coordinator at the university, added that the seminars witnessed the participation of approximately 64 male and female students from various faculties, and preparations are underway to implement other workshops in various faculties that will address various topics, including legal, psychological, and social aspects,
Positive parenting methods, reproductive health, the importance of premarital medical examinations, awareness of the impact of birth spacing, mechanisms for early detection of genetic diseases, and methods of dealing with children with various disabilities.
Dr. Imad Al-Suwaineh, Director of the Center, and Dr. Salma, Deputy Director of the Center, also pointed out that the students praised the training program, which witnessed a large turnout from students, in order to promote human values and clarify religious and legal concepts related to marriage.
He added that the seminars were attended by Dr. Sayed Atef El-Sayed, Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Media at Faculty of Arts, and Dr. Karim Nasser, Assistant lecturer in the Department of Italian Language at Faculty of Languages.
Dr. Ahmed Abbas, coordinator of Mawaddah project at Egyptian universities, emphasized that these trainings are part of a plan to develop the project’s interactive training manual.
This will ensure the integration of students with disabilities and their non-disabled peers, promote a culture of opposing gender-based violence, and highlight issues related to persons with disabilities in all project activities.